The Vet's Apprentice
by Tigers and Dragons
Summary: The smell of good food wafts from the Inuzuka's house, and it ISN'T take out. An injured dog, a shy girl and a meddling older sister. Kiba will have his hands full. NaruxHina and possibly others.
1. Encounters in the Forest

**This story is set in a quiet, peaceful time, when Naruto and his class mates are about 18. I haven't decided if it will be because everyone has been defeated or not. We'll see what happens. I'll try to keep them all in character. Please Enjoy.**

**Standard Disclaimer.**

* * *

In the outer limits of the forest surrounding Konoha, Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru were leading a search and rescue exercise with a team of genin. This was the final day of the mission and the sun was making its way towards the dawn.

"Finally, it's almost over. Can't wait to be home, hey boy?" Kiba said as he sat up and stretched. He looked around the clearing while rubbing his face and yawning. He could see in the predawn light that the genin were still sleeping. A sly grin spread across his face and he motioned to Akamaru to quietly leave camp. The large hound bared his teeth in a doggy grin and the mischievous pair ghosted into the trees to prepare their trap.

They liked to call it "training".

When the genin woke up an hour later, the sun had risen and the man-dog duo had all of the traps in place. Unfortunately for one of the genin, he woke up swaying in the breeze, hanging from a tree, and completely surrounded by a series of barely perceptible traps and snares. He could see them because he was behind them. His teammates, however, were not as sharp and would probably walk straight into them. He could already hear them calling.

Kiba watched them stumble through his traps and chuckled.

"Too easy!"

* * *

Meanwhile, closer to the gates of Konoha...

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. There was a nice breeze blowing, birds were singing, the Aburames were humming. Spring was in full bloom. Kaori wandered through the trees and dappled sunlight.

"On a day like this," She said to herself looking around the forest, "nothing bad could happen. Oh look, purple flowers!" She happily skipped over to the flowers, breathing in their scent. Then the red flowers in the next glade caught her attention, then the yellow ones a bit further over.

"They look so pretty and the smell so nice. I'm sure father would like some in his room. It would brighten his day up." With this thought in mind she happily began gathering up the prettiest flowers.

She had become so absorbed in choosing the best flowers for her bouquet she was unaware that she was being watched. In fact, she didn't notice until her observer barked at her. She jolted and turned in surprise to find the most adorable little dog behind her. Well, actually the dog was almost as tall as her hip, and it was all white except for her brown ears and one paw.

"Oh, look at you! Aren't you pretty!"

* * *

Also in the woods outside Konoha, a very noisy pursuit was in progress.

"Naruto, I'm going to kill you!" Sakura screamed, chasing the orange clad youth through the forest.

"Honestly Sakura, You're overreacting. It was nothing personal." Naruto grinned over his shoulder, before putting on a burst of speed in an attempt to outrun the irate kunoichi. He dodged to the left as she hurled three kunai at him. They thudded into a tree on his right just as he passed by.

Now if Sakura hadn't thrown the kunai, if Naruto hadn't dodged them, if Sakura could control her temper, and if Naruto hadn't made a joke about pink and Sasuke, then none of the following story would have occurred. But he did, she couldn't, he had and so had she. And luckily the dog was paying attention to her surroundings.

Because there she was, wandering through the forest looking for something, having finally escaped its yard, only to find a young girl about to be crash tackled by a full speed, idiot ninja. The dog quickly jumped up, startling the girl, who fell backwards into the flowers she had just been admiring.

"Naruto, LOOK OUT!" Yelled Sakura as Naruto sped towards the clearing, still grinning over his shoulder at her.

"You can't catch me with that!" He smirked, a split second before he collided with the dog and sent the two tumbling across the glade, ramming into a rather large tree and leaving them in a tangled heap on the ground.

Sakura landed in front of them and looked down at the moaning pair. Kaori picked herself up and ran over, worried about the dog that had just saved her from injury. Sakura leant down to check them, muttering under her breath. But she drew back quickly, when the dog shook her head and then turned and latched onto Naruto's left leg with a growl.

"ARGGH!" Naruto yelped, "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Sakura chuckled as Kaori pushed past her.

"You poor thing, look what happened to you!" The dog and the boy looked up at her, jaws and leg still engaged. Then the dog let go and Kaori reached for her head.

"Uh, thanks!" Naruto said dryly.

"You you you MORON! How could you do that to a poor little dog? What kind of person are you? Going around attacking poor defenseless animals! Look what you've done…" She picked the dog up and she began whimpering, holding one leg at a strange angle. As she struggled to hold the dog, which had turned out to be much bigger and heavier than she had thought, Naruto jumped up.

"That's not a defenseless animal! It's a monster! Look at what it did to my leg!" He pointed at his leg where there was a wet patch and a tiny tear in his pants. The girls looked at him. He pulled his pants up to show them the damage done to his leg, but all there was were a row of red marks; no punctures and no blood. The girls looked at each other, at the dog still squirming in Kaori's arms, then back at Naruto unimpressed.

"Well, it still hurt. And I hit a tree." He mumbled.

The dog whimpered, then yelped as Kaori tried to adjust her hold.

"See, you're hurting it more than I did!" Naruto burst out, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"You're horrible!" Kaori wailed, as she turned and ran towards the city gates.

"Naruto, you hurt the dog. It was all your fault!" Sakura growled.

"NO! SAKURA! DON'T!"

Naruto's pained screams echoed throughout the forest, causing a few birds to take flight.

* * *

**Questions or comments are welcome. Kaori is, of course, an OC. You'll learn more about her when she meets Kiba. She isn't based on anyone, not even me. **


	2. A new day, a new job

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Kaori walked through the gates still carrying the slightly squirming dog. Her tears had dried on her cheeks and her eyes were a little red, but if she kept her head down, no one would notice. Her brother always told her not to make a scene in public. He was always telling her things like that, when he was around.

So she breathed in deep breaths to calm herself, before walking up to the city gates.

"Hey K, what have you found there?" Asked the guard at the gate. He and his partner were usually at the gate when she went out to collect flowers from the woods.

_Oh no, they're going to notice! _Inwardly panicking, she walked up to the guard and presented the dog.

"That awful boy ran into the dog!" She said quietly but fervently. Izumo knelt in front of her and reached out a hand towards the dog. Kaori watched in slow motion as his hand approached the top of the animal's head and then the dog snapped its jaws and time sped up.

"Whoa, I guess it doesn't like me that much!" Behind him, Kotetsu chuckled. Shooting his partner an annoyed look over his shoulder, Izumo turned back to the girl who was trying to calm the animal down. She looked up at him and he noticed her eyes.

"Kaori, who made you cry?" She mumbled something and hid her face in the dog's fur. "Was it that boy?" a nod, "The one who ran over the dog?" another nod.

"Was he wearing orange by any chance?" Asked Kotetsu, stepping closer after overhearing the first question. Kaori looked up at him in surprise.

"Did he run over you too? Is that what happened to your face?" She asked wide-eyed. Kotetsu blanched and straightened up while Izumo fell out of his crouch, laughing.

"Not quite." Kotetsu replied with a wry smile, before delivering a kick to Izumo's ribs to make him stop laughing. Kaori looked at them confusedly. Then the dog took their attention again by whining and began struggling in Kaori's arms. The movement proved too much for the slight girl to maintain her grasp, and the animal fell on top of Izumo, who was still sprawled on the ground. Kaori stuttered an apology as she swooped down to move the dog off his chest. Izumo stopped her by sitting up and checking the dog over.

"This animal is injured!" He proclaimed. Behind him Kotetsu muttered something like "Way to go Captain Obvious" before stopping and looking down at the two on the ground with renewed interest. Izumo looked up at Kotetsu with the same spark of interest.

"I'll take her!" They yelled at the same time. Kaori again looked at them confused. They were now eyeing each other with a mixture of distaste and annoyance, completely forgetting that they were supposed to be on duty at the city gates.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Kaori was walking through the streets of Konoha with Izumo. He was carrying the dog, who did not seem very happy with the situation. Izumo prattled along about inconsequential things until they came to a particular street. As soon as they turned the corner the dog became very agitated and started struggling. It was all he could do to keep the animal in his arms. Kaori tried to calm her but Izumo sent her up the street to the large house with the sign saying 'Inuzuka Veterinary Clinic' out the front.

She ran to the door and knocked as Izumo made his way up the street slowly. When there was no answer, he called to her to just go in. She opened the door timidly and looked around. The room was large with seats along two walls and a desk opposite the door. There was no one inside. She went up to the desk, looking for a bell to press to gain someone's attention but there wasn't one. She looked down the hallway and thought she heard voices. She was about to venture down there when Izumo made it to the door. The sound of the two struggling caught Kaori's attention and she rushed to the entrance to let them in. Once inside, the dog suddenly ceased struggling, tensing all her muscles as if waiting for an unfavourable event.

Feeling awkward with the dog now lying in his arms not moving a muscle, Izumo looked from the animal to the girl, then around the room. Kaori reached for the dog saying,

"Maybe you should look. I couldn't find anyone."

He handed the dog to her and stepped forward calling softly. "Hana? Hana, are you here? Hana?"

He was looking down the hallway, when Kaori shifted the dog and it yelped, causing Izumo to whip his head around. He was almost knocked over when two women came barreling down the hallway towards the sound of an injured animal.

"What's this? How did this happen?" The younger woman exclaimed. The older woman looked down coldly at the dog in the girl's arms. Her stare was unnerving the poor girl and she bit her lip, the tears already coming to her eyes. Luckily, the woman's gaze changed targets.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just helping out, Ma'am. I'm leaving now!" And with that Izumo raced out the door.

The younger lady looked up from the dog and chuckled as the ninja beat a hasty retreat.

"Really mother, you shouldn't be so gruff all the time!" She said playfully.

The scary lady turned back to the dog being examined. Then she leaned forward and plucked it from Kaori's arms by the scruff of the neck.

"And what are you doing out of your yard?" She growled. The dog whimpered, and then yelped. She glared at it balefully before looking at Kaori again. In fact, both women were looking at Kaori. She cowered under the power of their gaze. Then the scary lady strode out of the room, still carrying the dog. The face of the younger lady softened.

"Hi there, my name is Hana Inuzuka. What's your name?" She asked with a smile.

"My name is Kaori Tokudan." She replied softly. She smiled shyly. She liked this lady much more than the other one.

"Come with me, Kaori. Your dog is injured and we have to fix her up."

"B-but she's not my dog…" Hana looked over her shoulder at the girl. Then she smiled knowingly.

"Follow me." Kaori felt she couldn't refuse, so she followed Hana down the corridor to a room with a large stainless steel table in the centre. The scary lady had plopped the dog on the table then moved around the room gathering medical supplies.

Kaori was hovering in the doorway so she wasn't in the way, when Hana motioned for her to come over to the table. She watched as Hana and the scary lady cleaned and checked the dog's leg, then splinted and wrapped it. Hana was telling her about everything as she did it. Then they ran through a general check-up to make sure there were no hidden injuries.

Being a shy girl, Kaori didn't know how to react to the situation she had suddenly found herself in, but slowly she opened up and began asking questions. Hana and even the older lady, Hana's mother, answered them all, even the silly ones. She commented on that and Hana's mother said, "There's no such thing as silly questions. If you don't ask, you won't learn."

Then she left with the dog, and Hana took Kaori out into the yard where the other animals were.

"Wow, you have so many animals here! Do they all belong to you?"

Hana chuckled at the look on Kaori's face. "Most of the dogs are ours, like these ones here," And three large grey dogs bounded up to the two girls.

"These are my best friends, Gurei, Shimofuri and Kaihaku. My mother's friend, Kuromaru, is out at the moment. My younger brother is on a mission with his friend Akamaru. There are a few other dogs here that are special breeds, but not as special as these guys." She rubbed their heads affectionately. "We also have some pets from other families. They're either boarding here or they're ill or injured. That's my job, looking after animals."

"I wish I had an exciting job like that!" Kaori said wistfully.

"Why? You're what, 12? What do you do?"

"Oh, no! I'm fifteen!" She giggled at the shocked look Hana was wearing. "I look after my father's house, because he's not well and my brother is away on missions a lot. He's a jounin, you know." Kaori was very proud of her brother.

"Really? What's his name?"

"Minoru."

"Minoru Tokudan, hmm." Hana said thoughtfully, "I think I know him."

Just then Tsume walked past on one of her errands. She stopped.

"Minoru Tokudan, was it?" The two girls nodded, "I know him. He told me I was one scary bitch." She laughed harshly as the two girls looked a little shocked. "I thought that was rather brave of him."

"Kind of stupid though. And rude!"

"Yes, but honesty is like that. So what rank is he now?"

"Jounin."

Tsume nodded to herself and then continued on her way. Hana turned back to Kaori.

"What were we talking about?"

"My job?"

"Oh, yes. Now you have a new one."

Kaori looked confused while Hana grinned. She had just thought up a brilliant idea.

"You need to look after the dog now and there's the payment to consider."

"Payment?" Kaori squeaked, "But I don't know how to look after an injured animal and she's not my dog!"

"Well, you brought her here, so she's your responsibility."

"But, but, but..."

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you. We'll look after the dog for you, at least until she's healed. You can pay off your debt by working here."

"You want me to work here?" Kaori squeaked again, "What can I do?"

Before Hana could answer, Tsume called out to them.

"Girls, I'm going out to buy lunch. Do you want anything special?" Kaori turned to Hana.

"Is it a special occasion?"

"No, why?" Hana asked in confusion.

"We only buy ready-made food on special occasions."

"Really?" Another glint entered Hana's eyes. "That means you cook all your meals?"

"Oh yes. I cook every meal. Minoru says there's nothing like it. He really misses it when he's away on missions."

"Is that a fact?" Hana rubbed her hands together slowly, the broad grin on her face showing her elongated fangs. Then she called out, "Mother, I don't think a lunch run will be necessary."

"What? Why? Don't tell me you're going to try to cook again?" Tsume asked as she came out to the courtyard.

"Don't be silly!" Hana grumbled, "Kaori just volunteered to cook lunch for us."

"What? But I didn't…" Hana turned a face full of childlike excitement and hope to Kaori. She turned to Tsume to find gruff pleasure at the thought of a home-cooked meal. She gave in.

"So what food do you have?"

The two Inuzuka women looked at each other.

"Maybe we should make a trip to the grocers instead."

* * *

**For those who were wondering, the names of the of the Haimaru brothers, that is Hana's three dogs, are ones I've made up. They are all variants on the word grey in Japanese. The dogs aren't actually named in the anime. Also the fact that Hana can't cook I took from someone else, but I can't remember who. I don't know if it's canon or not, but hey, it suits the story.**


	3. Clearing Kiba's Confusion

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Kiba and Akamaru raced each other to the Inuzuka clan house. It was about half past five in the evening, late enough to have dinner at home but early enough to still grab something if nothing was prepared. The odds were they would be going out for food. Tsume could cook, if you included camp food, but Hana didn't have a domestic bone in her body. Usually it was up to Kiba to cook, but having just finished a mission, he didn't really feel up to it.

As they arrived at the door to the house four things caught his attention:

1. There was a most delicious aroma wafting out from the kitchen.

2. His mother and sister were setting down bowls of food.

3. Kuromaru and the Haimaru triplets were all lying down in the greater dining area.

4. There was a dog bed against the wall and one of the white female nin-dogs was resting on it with one leg wrapped and splinted.

They grabbed everyone's attention when they entered. The dogs all looked up and barked in greeting, Hana and Tsume smiled and the white nin-dog made a try for the door.

Instantly, Kuromaru was on his feet and growling. The triplets lifted their heads, making small noises as they watched the white dog cower.

"If you try that again, I'll take the splints off and you won't be able to even hobble around." Hana glared at the dog.

"What's going on? What happened to her?" Kiba asked in confusion, gesturing to the white dog, Akamaru sniffed and yipped. "And who is this girl she's talking about?"

"Kiba, put the dog back on the bed and have some dinner."

* * *

"…so she escaped and Naruto ran into her and a girl, that none of us know, brought her here and made this delicious stew." Kiba stated, looking around for clarification.

"Basically." Hana confirmed with a shrug as she ate.

"Why isn't she still here?"

"She said she had to go. But she'll be back tomorrow."

"Why?"

Hana grinned and looked away.

Tsume rolled her eyes. "Now is hardly the time to gain a conscience."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hana tricked her into helping out and cooking meals as payment for healing the dog." Tsume said, semi-disapprovingly. Hana gave her a look that said _you didn't stop me!_

"But she's our dog." Kiba said in confusion, "Why would we need payment for looking after her when she's injured? Shouldn't we be giving this girl a reward for returning her?"

"What? You mean that allowing her to cook us this fabulous meal isn't enough?" Hana blurted out.

"I hardly think that's what she had in mind!" Kiba returned sardonically.

"You don't want to eat like this more often?" Hana questioned with a devious gleam in her eye.

"How often?"

"Twice a day during the week, an occasional breakfast treat and a big Sunday lunch!" Hana said proudly.

"Wow, she must be really stupid!" Kiba exclaimed, before Tsume reached over and swatted him across the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I was sure I taught you not to be rude to girls!" She snapped. "Besides, being generous does not make the girl stupid."

Hana chuckled at the look on Kiba's face and all of the dogs joined in. When she regained her composure, she replied to Kiba. "She isn't stupid, just a little naïve. I think she's led a really sheltered life."

"Like she doesn't realize we have the only nin-dogs around here or that she lives in a ninja village?"

"No, she knows she's in a ninja village." Tsume said with conviction.

"Yeah, she said her brother was on a mission right now. She said he is a jounin."

"And I sensed a little chakra manipulation while she was here. She probably had preliminary training." Tsume interjected, as she finished her stew.

"But she isn't a ninja. She keeps house for her father and brother and goes out for flowers everyday."

_That explains the faint scent of flowers in here._ Kiba thought to himself.

"Well, at least she can cook." Kiba said as he pushed his bowl away and patted his stomach.

"Yep. So, now that we've cleared that up, you can clear the table and do the dishes." Hana announced.

"But I just finished a mission!" Kiba protested indignantly. "I deserve a night off!"

Hana smirked, "You did have the night off, little brother. You didn't cook."

Tsume left the room, leaving her squabbling offspring to settle the issue themselves. Even though they weren't allowed to help clean the dishes anymore, (well actually not since that incident when Kiba was five) all of the dogs filed out after Tsume to avoid being roped into some other chore.

After about five minutes, Hana won the glaring contest and all but skipped out, leaving Kiba dejectedly domesticated.

* * *

While Kiba was cleaning the dishes, he noticed that the injured dog was whining. When the other dogs had left, Akamaru had gone over to her and lay down. He was mostly watching Kiba grumble but occasionally he'd look over at the white dog and growl or yip.

When he did, the white dog would whimper and start fidgeting. She didn't want to lie here, she was so close to the door. But the other dogs are larger and Kuromaru, the alpha male, had warned all of them not to let her move.

Kiba wandered over to the bed and checked the bandages.

"It's Karahi, isn't it?" The dog yipped at him, "What do you mean that isn't your name?" Akamaru groaned, and Kiba glanced at him. "She chose a new name?"

The white dog barked happily.

"What kind of name is that? Moriko? It doesn't suit you!"

The white dog, who had decided her name was Moriko, growled at him then turned to look out the door.

"So, you want out the door, hey?" asked Kiba. Akamaru barked then growled.

"I'm not teasing her!" He retorted defensively, "If I was going to tease her, I'd do this!"

Then, with a huge grin on his face, he opened the door and patted his leg calling out, "Here girl, come on!"

Moriko perked up but Akamaru stepped in between her and Kiba and growled. The triplets came running in and ran straight at Kiba. They collided with him just as Hana entered the room, and landed in a dog pile out in the yard. Akamaru walked over to the door and barked at them. Kiba was yelling something, but it was muffled by the bodies on top of him.

Hana checked on the white dog, then followed Akamaru to the door. She clicked her tongue and her dogs moved off her brother, leaving him groaning on the ground.

"What was that, Kiba?" She inquired sweetly. He lifted his head and looked over at Akamaru.

"Tattle tale!" He growled and went to sit up. He was knocked over as Akamaru barreled into him. Hana was laughing now, as Kiba was pummeled by his own companion. She loved watching these fights. Kiba could hold his own against almost anyone his age, and he regularly beat up some of the older guys too, but he always lost to Akamaru.

"Break it up, you two." A gruff voice beside her called. Kuromaru stood there, watching his friend's childish offspring and his pup companion. Then he shook his head and retired inside.

Kiba and Akamaru sat up and looked around.

"What?"

Hana just laughed.

* * *

**Just so you know, the dog's given name, Karahi, is my attempt at a name meaning white. It's actually two words combined which, according to my research, mean "no" and "colour". The name she has chosen means "forest child".  
**

**This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers, y-in-flame and Rocketdog48. Thanks muchly guys.**


	4. The First Meeting

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Sunlight through the window woke Kiba up right before he hit the floor as Akamaru leapt from the bed and raced downstairs.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me!" He grumbled as he picked himself up. He yawned and stretched before putting on a shirt and stumbling downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, his brain woke up and he caught the scent of food. He could hear voices in the kitchen, then the door opened and closed, while he stood there drooling and thinking "Food, glorious food!"

He turned the corner into the dining area to see all of his family's dogs, except Akamaru, standing over the injured dog on the bed. Akamaru was staring intensely out the door. His mother and sister were tearing into a huge breakfast of sausages, eggs, bacon, and all manner of delightful, breakfast-y foods. Kiba raced to the table to ensure he had his share of the heavenly meal.

* * *

After they had demolished all of the food (and given some to their hounds) the Inuzukas sat back, quite content, until Moriko made a break for it, racing out the door as fast as her three good legs could carry her.

"Damn it, not again." Hana growled as she chased after her, her hounds streaming along behind her.

Tsume and Kuromaru stood up and stretched and padded off towards the stairs. Kiba sighed and began gathering the dishes. He'd just finished cleaning up when his mother came back in, fully clothed and equipped with her ninja gear.

"I have a mission. I'll back in three days." She ruffled Kiba's hair and headed for the door. She reached it just as Hana returned with the white dog slung over her shoulder.

"Three days?" Hana asked as she entered. Tsume nodded and left, Kuromaru at her side.

Hana walked over and eased the dog onto the dog bed. Moriko was quivering, streaked with sweat and breathing heavily. Hana grabbed the injured limb and unwrapped the bandage. Kiba came over and watched his sister work.

"Why does she keep running?"

"She wants to follow Kaori. That's why the boys were guarding her earlier. Kaori said she'd be back but she had some things to do first. She'd been petting this one before she left. When she stood up, Moriko tried to go with her."

"So, Kaori was here this morning."

"Is that all you got from what I just said?"

Kiba stared at her blankly. Hana looked at her brother in amazement, before turning back to the animal.

"Yes, Kaori was here. She made breakfast for us. She left just before you came downstairs."

Kiba moved away. "I thought I smelt flowers."

Hana rolled her eyes. _Idiot!_ Then an idea struck her. She grinned to herself as she finished rewrapping the dog's leg. She leant over and murmured in Moriko's ear.

The dog glanced at Akamaru then shook her head at Hana. The Triplets growled and Hana quietly said, "I'll let you go outside."

The dog wagged her tail in agreement.

"Great. Now, that that's sorted." She turned to her brother, all signs of her grin completely gone. "Kiba, could you take Moriko into the courtyard, please?"

"What? Why? You were just carrying her, why don't you do it?"

Hana frowned at him, "Because I have work to do."

"So?"

"And you don't."

"I remain unconvinced. You aren't doing anything right now!" He pointed out.

"I was just carrying her, now I'm sharing."

"I don't like it when you share."

"You'll need to take the bed out too and you say you're stronger than me, so this is your opportunity to prove it."

"I am stronger than you. I don't need to prove it."

"I know you're just going to slack off in your room today. How about helping me out?"

"I just finished a mission. And I did the dishes TWICE! I deserve some time off."

_Of all the times to be stubborn…_ Hana rubbed her face then glared at Kiba who stood with his arms crossed. Akamaru could see what was about to happen, and since he didn't want to hurt Hana, he stepped away from his human brother.

Kiba noticed the movement and turned to Akamaru, thus leaving himself open. He didn't have time to react as the three Haimaru brothers piled on top of him again.

Hana walked over to her brother as her boys shuffled off him. She leant down and grabbed his collar, hauling him into a sitting position. Then, in her best impersonation of their mother, she growled,

"You will do it, because I say you will!"

Kiba yelped and frantically nodded his head. When she let go, he fell back, hitting his head on the floor with a thump, and groaned. Hana straightened and crossed the room to the passageway that led to the surgery. Her hounds followed, leaving Kiba still moaning on the floor.

"Don't take all day, Kiba." She smirked over her shoulder, then she was gone.

Kiba sat up and Akamaru licked his face.

"Traitor!" He grumbled. Akamaru chuckled and licked him again.

"But you're right. She didn't say we couldn't stay out there all day." He walked over to the dog bed, picked it up with Moriko still on it, and walked out into the courtyard.

* * *

What Kiba didn't realize is that his sister had told the dog to chatter at him. So as he made himself comfortable, sitting in the shade, Moriko began chattering away at him. She rambled on about flowers and the girl, Kaori and Naruto and Kaori and the two idiots at the gate and Kaori and how scary his mother was, (he snorted, like he didn't already know that) and how Kaori was scared too and on and on and on for three hours.

He managed to pick up a few tidbits of information. Kaori smells like wildflowers, but he knew that. He'd smelt them last night and this morning. But the wildflowers were a different scent from the smell of Ino's flower shop. So that was interesting.

Naruto is heavy and he tastes like ramen. Old ramen. Moriko disliked ramen now. The two guys at the gate, Izumo and Kotetsu, really like his sister but are mortally terrified of his mother. And Moriko is scared of Kuromaru, but that's self-explanatory. Kuromaru was the Alpha male, the leader of the pack.

Other than that, the rest was babble which they had come to expect from the female nin-dogs. That's why they only partnered with the males. A babbling female was no help on a mission.

So Kiba let the little bitch continue babbling at him, laying back on Akamaru and going to sleep.

He woke up to the scent of beef and noodles and found that Moriko had scarpered.

There were low voices in the kitchen and he heard Hana laugh. Akamaru shook him off and padded across the yard. He stopped at the door, waiting for Kiba to pick himself up.

Kiba yawned, cracked his neck, stretched then sauntered across the yard to the door. He heard his sister say, "I'll be back. Don't start without me." Then Moriko whined.

A soft voice said something quietly, Kiba couldn't quite catch it, and the dog barked happily. Then there was a quiet laugh and the sound of food cooking.

Just then a breeze rushed through the kitchen window, down the hall and straight to Kiba's nose. He licked his lips, in anticipation of the wonderful food he could smell, and entered the house.

He walked quickly but quietly down the hall towards the kitchen with Akamaru at his side, basically leading with his nose.

He rounded the corner into the dining room; eyes closed now, intent on savoring that delicious smell, and entered the kitchen. It was a miracle that he hadn't bumped into anything. He opened his eyes when he reached the stove and grinned.

"This smells delicious!"

Unfortunately, Kaori had not noticed Kiba entering the kitchen, having had her back to the door when he entered and turning the other way as he'd stepped up to the stove. So he surprised her and her first reaction was not particularly calm.

She squealed, dropped the bowl of noodles while in the process of turning around thus spreading them across the kitchen, and pressed herself back against the bench. Kiba jumped when she squealed and Akamaru barked. Loudly. In a small kitchen.

Akamaru filled the doorway, with Moriko trapped between him and the wall, having tried to launch herself at Kiba in defense of her human. Kiba was leaning against the stove, holding his chest and looking startled. There was a bowl of noodles spilt across the floor and Kaori was squashed back into the bench, staring at Kiba with eyes so wide they would have fallen out if you tapped the back of her head. She was very still, barely breathing, and absolutely terrified because she was in a small kitchen with a guy that she didn't know and he'd just appeared behind her.

Kiba gave a short nervous laugh. "Whoa, easy there. You almost gave me a heart attack."

Kaori didn't move. She couldn't move.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he took a step toward her, his hands out. She shied away from him, panic evident on her face.

He stopped.

"It's alright. I won't hurt you. My name's Kiba." Akamaru barked again. "That's Akamaru."

Kaori looked from Kiba to Akamaru then back to Kiba. She still looked startled but at least she was breathing again. Kiba was about to say something else when Hana came charging in.

"What did you do this time, Kiba? Akamaru MOVE!" She growled, squeezing into the kitchen past him. "Kiba, out of the kitchen. NOW!"

Akamaru yipped, backing up hurriedly, Moriko whined, retreating from Hana's tone and Kiba opened his mouth to protest when Hana stepped over the mess on the floor, grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out the door. She dumped him in a chair at the table and stalked back into the kitchen, ignoring everything he said.

* * *

In the kitchen, Kaori had begun functioning again and she knelt down to clean up the noodles.

"Here, let me help you." Hana said, kneeling down next to her. She looked over at Kaori. From this level she could see the girl's red face. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. Hana leant over, putting an arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"Hey, it alright. Everything's fine." She gave her a squeeze. "It's just my idiot brother. He won't hurt you."

Kaori looked up at her with a small smile.

Hana wiped the tears away and grinned. "I can have Akamaru sit on him if you want."

Kaori gave a small laugh and wiped her face. She shook her head. "He's not in trouble?"

Hana laughed, "Do you want him to be?"

"Oh no!" Kaori shook her head violently, "It wasn't his fault. I didn't see him, and I dropped the bowl. I made the mess!"

"Come on already. I'm hungry!" Kiba grumbled from the other room. Hana clicked her tongue and the sound of a chair falling over could be heard.

"HANA!"

"Trust me, Kaori. You can blame him."

"HANA!" Kiba's angry, muffled cry came again. Moriko stood at the doorway and barked. Hana smirked as the dog turned back to watch what was happening in the dining room. All that could be heard were low growls and the sounds of Kiba struggling with the weight of four large dogs.

She gave Kaori a hand up then helped to serve up lunch. Although it was lacking the noodles, lunch still smelt and looked wonderful. The two girls picked up all the plates, exchanged one last look, and Kaori took a deep breath, before they left the kitchen.


	5. The Answer to a Dilemma

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Kiba kicked a stone, sending it skidding down the street. Akamaru bumped his head into Kiba's back. He put his hands in his pockets and slouched along.

He had just sat through one of the most awkward meals of his life. It was worse than yesterday's lunch, after he had scared Kaori in the kitchen and Hana had called a dogpile on him. That meal had been uncomfortable; Kaori had been seated as far away as was possible. She'd kept her head down and every time Kiba had tried to talk, to show he was friendly and NOT SCARY, Hana had cut him off or talked over the top of him. That was yesterday. Today had been worse.

Kiba had been waiting for Kaori to arrive. He made sure Hana was out of earshot, posted Akamaru on guard duty and slipped into the kitchen. He knocked first, so she would know he was there, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

She'd looked up, went red, squeaked and started to panic.

** _FLASHBACK_ **

"Whoa, Calm down! Breathe! Breathe! I only wanted to give you a hand!" Kiba took a step forward and Kaori squeaked again, retreating further. He stopped and looked at her, thinking, _This is unreal! She's worse than Hinata used to be..._ He gave her his most charming smile and held out his hand. Kaori, still nervous, looked from his face to his hand and back, in total confusion at his sudden change of countenance. He was about to give up, (because there's only so long you can hold a charming smile before it starts to look false) when she reached out and gingerly placed her hand on his. His smile widened into a friendly grin as he shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Kaori."

A small shy smile crept onto her face, and Kiba felt a little bit of pressure on his fingers.

However, the pleasant atmosphere vanished when Hana cleared her throat from the doorway.

"So, what's going on in here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Akamaru peered around her into the kitchen and then quickly hid from view.

Kaori gasped and jerked her hand away, hiding both hands behind her back and increasing her distance from Kiba. He spun round to look at Hana but immediately turned back as Kaori pulled her hand away. The next thing he knew, he'd been lifted up by the collar and dragged out of the kitchen.

"Hana! What the h…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Kiba." She growled, "There are ladies present."

He smirked, about to disagree with that statement, when he was unceremoniously dumped in a chair at the table. He looked up to find his sister standing imperiously in front of him, arms crossed and with a stern, Tsume, no nonsense look on her face.

"Kiba, Kaori is a nice young lady."

"I know that but.."

"I don't want to make things awkward for her."

"I wasn't going… Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Look, just be cool. Take it easy. Don't rush into anything, you know?"

"Hana, I think you're confused, I wasn't…"

"Fine! Be stubborn."

"I wasn't…"

"Just keep it in your pants, okay!"

There was a gasp from the kitchen and Kaori disappeared from the doorway. Kiba's eyes widened. Hana just stood there with a look of expectation on her face.

"Well?"

"Hana, that was uh… I wasn't…" He spluttered.

An evil grin spread across her face.

"You! Oh, I'm gonna kill you!" Kiba shot out of the chair as Hana took a step back, grin still in place.

Before his assault could even begin, he was halted by a series of low growls from across the room.

"Aw, come on! Are you kidding me!"

Each dog barked just once, wolfish grins on their faces.

"That isn't fair." Kiba whined. The Haimaru brothers looked at him, tongues lolling out and tails wagging. "Hana, your boys are spoilsports."

She laughed and ruffled his hair. Then she leaned in and whispered in his ear,

"I was serious."

Still laughing, she went into the kitchen.

** _PRESENT_ **

Kiba didn't know what was said between the two girls but Hana had laughed several times. When they had finally come out with lunch, Kaori had taken one look at him and blushed redder than Hinata ever had. She didn't say anything at all through the meal. She wouldn't even look in his direction.

And Hana. She talked throughout the meal as if the awkward atmosphere was nothing, least of all her fault.

At the end of the meal, Hana had stood up and imperiously decreed that Kiba would clean up the kitchen. Kaori had looked at her and Hana had nodded. Kiba had watched them have a silent conversation, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what was going on. Then Kaori had glanced at him, blushed again and raced from the house.

Now he was walking through Konoha, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Akamaru whined and yipped.

"I don't know boy. There has to be someone who can help me right?"

Akamaru barked.

"That's a good idea!" And off they went, racing to find Hinata.

* * *

It took a while, but the duo finally tracked her down, in the hospital of all places. This was a little unusual because Naruto was back from his last mission AND he'd already annoyed Sakura enough to be beaten up. But then Naruto usually avoided the hospital. Weirder still, was that Hinata was inside without him.

"Hey Hinata." Kiba called as he jogged towards her.

"Hey Kiba. What are you up to?" She replied, kneeling down in front of Akamaru to greet him as well. Kiba stood over them.

"You know Naruto is looking for you." He said with a grin. Hinata blushed.

"You w-won't tell him I'm h-here, will you?"

"What happened this time?"

"W-well, he was really happy to be back and, and well..."

"Well?"

Hinata took a deep breath and let it out. She scratched Akamaru's ears to avoid looking at Kiba. "He crashed through the roof and dragged me off for ramen."

Kiba couldn't help himself as he let out a bark of laughter.

"What was so bad about that?" He chuckled.

"I was in the middle of a clan dinner at the time." She replied wryly.

Kiba almost fell over laughing. Akamaru barked, enjoying the joke, and Kiba pushed himself off the wall and nodded.

"That's a good point. How long are you going to try hiding? He'll find you eventually."

"Well, um, I sort of, uh… I don't know." She shrugged. "I haven't seen him since yesterday and I do kind of miss him."

Kiba helped her stand up. "Maybe you should go find him."

Hinata nodded but before she could leave, Kiba stopped her. "But first, could you help me out please?"

"What is it?" She asked as they walked through the hospital.

"Well, Hana tricked this girl into helping out at home, cooking meals and stuff, right?"

"Right." Hinata replied hesitantly, though she was sure that was _not_ right.

"Anyway, this girl, she's really shy and nervous and she's scared of me and I can't figure out why. I mean, I'm a nice guy right? I'm friendly." He looked at Hinata for assurance here.

She nodded, still not sure where this was headed.

"But every time I've been anywhere near her, she goes bright red, squeaks and edges away from me. I could understand the first time, in the kitchen, and maybe during lunch too," Hinata cocked an eyebrow, but Kiba kept talking, "But all the other times, I was being really polite and friendly. And I mean, it took almost five minutes for her to trust me enough to just shake my hand. Alright, I'm exaggerating, but it felt that long." He paused and ran a hand through his hair.

"And Hana, oh man is Hana not helping!"

"Why is that?"

"She warned me off flirting with Kaori and she said she was serious, but she totally used the wrong phrase and she said it so loud! I know Kaori heard and I think she almost fainted or something."

"What did she say?" Asked Hinata curiously, because whatever it was had embarrassed Kiba and that was a difficult thing to do.

"Who?"

"Hana."

"Oh." He huffed, "She told me to keep it in my pants."

Hinata began giggling, she tried to hold it in or cover it but it just didn't work.

"Thanks Hinata, I really appreciate your sympathy." Kiba huffed sarcastically.

"I'm..." Hinata giggled again, "I'm sorry Kiba." She took a few deep breaths and calmed down, though there was still a smile on her face when she looked at him. "So, what did you want me to do?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me what to do or talk to her or something."

"Talk to her? About you?"

"Yeah," He said nervously. Then it clicked, "Not like that! Just tell her I'm nice and NOT scary. I just want to be friends. It's uncomfortable sitting across the table from her when she won't talk to me."

Hinata thought about it. Kiba gave her his best puppy-dog eyes and Akamaru licked her hand.

"Okay, I'll talk to her, if that's what you really want."

Kiba whooped and gave her a hug.

"Do you know where she is?"

His big happy grin fell and Kiba shuffled his feet.

"Uh, no. She ran out of the house after lunch." He said sheepishly, then he grinned, "But I mean, we're search and rescue! We can find her."

"Kiba, I don't think it's going to help your case if you're standing there when I talk to her. Just tell me what she looks like and I'll go find her."

"Ok. She's really short." Hinata glared at him, "Well, she is."

"That doesn't mean you should say anything about it." She said swatting him.

"Fine. You know I get enough of that from my mum."

Hinata nodded knowlingly but made no apology.

"So, she has long brown hair with a sorta red tinge and big blue eyes. At least they're always big when I see her. I don't know if that helps."

Hinata motioned for him to continue.

"She was wearing a dark green shirt today, with black pants and a white vest thing over the top. And she smells like flowers." Akamaru let out a short sharp bark.

"That's right. Wildflowers. Not ordinary flowers like Ino but like, like a meadow on a sunny spring day."

Hinata gave him another look, one he couldn't quite figure out, then she nodded.

"Alright, I'll go look for her. Can you do something for me?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Go, find Naruto for me. We'll meet at your house at five."

"Thanks Hinata."

After sharing one last hug, the teammates split up to hunt down their prey.


	6. Meetings Around Town

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Since Hinata didn't know Kaori, and Kiba's description matched a number of girls in Konoha, she thought the best place to start was with Hana. So she headed to Kiba's house to talk to his sister.

She was surprised (and amused) to find that Kaori was there too.

She knocked on the wall at the entrance to the clinic, calling out a greeting to Hana as she approached the treatment room.

"Hey Hinata, come in and meet Kaori." Hana smiled. She turned to Kaori to begin the introductions, "Kaori Tokudan, this is Hinata Hyuga. She's one of Kiba's teammates."

Hinata waved from the doorway, amused to see Kaori blush at the mention of Kiba's name.

"It's nice to meet you, Kaori." She smiled.

Kaori smiled shyly, murmuring a return greeting while playing with Moriko's ears. She was sitting on the dog bed with the dog across her lap. Two of Hana's boys were lying next to her on the floor, the third following Hana around the clinic.

Hinata took a stool and sat at one of the examination tables. Hana brought over a number of bottles and jars, placing them in front of Hinata.

"Could you give me a hand with these?" She asked.

"Sure."

They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes, sorting up ingredients, and making medicines, before Moriko barked.

"Hana, should I..." Kaori paused, before continuing in a rush of words, "Should I be helping you?"

Hana glanced over at Moriko, then shrugged, "I think you're good where you are."

Kaihaku barked once, and Gurei butted Hana into the table. Kaori looked at them.

"Why did they say that?" She asked innocently.

"Say what?" Hinata inquired in surprise. She looked at Hana, who had frozen in place.

"They said, "That's not the only reason she's here". What did they mean, Hana?" Kaori asked in confusion. Hinata and Hana exchanged glances, while Gurei wagged his tail at Kaori.

"Don't worry about them, Kaori. They're just hungry." Hana laughed nervously. "You know they love your cooking." She sent Gurei a death glare. He whimpered and slunk around the table.

"Wait! You can hear them talking?" Hinata asked Kaori, a little shocked. She turned to Hana, who was giving her a look that said, _Not now!_

"Yes." Kaori replied uncertainly, embarrassed that she'd said so much in front of someone she didn"t know. Moriko licked her face and yipped at her.

"Kaori, you'd better help her outside." Hana said, recovering her composure thanks to the little dog's needs. Kaori helped her stand up and, with her two grey guardians, they hobbled down the hall to the back door.

"What's going on, Hana?" Hinata asked once the door closed.

Hana smirked, "I'd like to ask you the same thing. It's nice to see you but I know you have other things to be doing. Especially with Naruto in town!"

"I was avoiding him," Hinata blushed, "just temporarily."

Hana laughed. She packed up the jars and bottles and began writing instructions for the medicines they'd just made.

"But Hana? Really, what's going on? Who is that girl and why is she here?"

Hana stopped writing to focus on Hinata. "You saw Kiba earlier?"

Hinata nodded, wondering how she knew.

"I can smell Akamaru on you." Hana explained, "How was he?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was he nervous?"

"Well, yes."

"Good." She returned to writing her instructions.

"Hana, I'm confused. What's going on? Who is Kaori?"

"She's just a girl who met one of our dogs in the forest."

"That's all?"

Hana smirked again.

"Not by half." She replied, before checking down the hallway for eavesdroppers, "I think she likes Kiba and I'm working on him to return her feelings."

"I think it's the other way around."

Hana frowned, "Why do you say that?"

"You know your brother: he flirts with all the girls."

"Good point." Hana agreed. Then she smirked again, thinking how much easier that made things.

"Why are you doing this, Hana?" pressed Hinata, determined to find out.

"Because I think Kiba needs a girlfriend." She replied matter-of-factly.

"And?"

"And Kaori is sweet and pretty and she can cook."

"And?"

"And I think they'll make a cute couple."

"And?"

Hana paused her writing, trying to decide if she wanted to share.

"Hana?"

Hana shrugged, "I figure if he's occupied keeping guys away from Kaori, he might stop beating up the guys just for looking at me."

"Why don't you just tell him to back off?"

Hana rolled her eyes. "As if that would work. Once he grew taller than me, he decided he had to "protect" me, from _everything_! Even with my boys dog-piling him every other day, it makes no difference. As if my mother wasn't bad enough!"

Hinata giggled, although she knew how it felt. She'd faced the same problem when Naruto started to return her feelings. He'd asked her out but he'd had to go through Neji and Kiba to do it, even though they knew about her feelings. Naruto was still trying to convince her father that he was worth it.

Hana shot her an annoyed look. "Thank you so much for your sympathy."

Hinata giggled again, "You know Kiba said that too."

"Why?"

"You embarrassed him with, you know… what you said…" Hinata blushed, unable to repeat exactly what was said. Hana looked at her in confusion.

"What I said when?" Then it clicked and she began laughing. "Aha, my plan is working! Excellent!"

There was a certain element of evil satisfaction in her smile. Hinata giggled again.

"You're so evil." She took a calming breath before continuing. "You know, Kiba thinks Kaori is scared of him."

"Bah, what would he know? He's male. He has no idea." Hana put down her pen and eyed Hinata curiously. "What did he say?"

"He was worried that she thought he was scary because she edges away from him and he wanted me to find her and tell her that he isn't scary. He was quite worried about it, really."

"Hmmm." Hana tapped her cheek thoughtfully, "How were you supposed to find her?"

"He gave me a description."

"Really? What was it?"

"Well, he had her height right, and her clothes. Her hair is long and kind of red; I think auburn is the word. But that describes half a dozen girls in Konoha. Then Akamaru made a suggestion which obviously helps them identify her but it wasn't going to help me."

"Why is that?"

"Well, how am I supposed to find someone who smells like wildflowers?"

"He really said that?" Hana chuckled.

"No, what he really said was, 'like a meadow on a sunny, spring day'"

Hana stopped, stunned that something like that could come from her younger brother. "This could be easier then I thought."

"He made sure I knew, too, that it was wildflowers, not domestic ones like Ino."

Hana laughed again. "He keeps bringing that up. He came in yesterday after she left and all he could think to say was 'I thought I smelt flowers.'"

"You'd think he'd be smelling the food."

"That's all I can smell when she cooks. Speaking of which, Kaori's cooking dinner tonight. Do you want to join us?"

"Why _is_ she cooking dinner for you?" Hinata asked, her lack of knowledge of this point making her a little uneasy.

"Oh, that's a long story. I'll tell you later." Hana waved her off, as she began putting away the medicine she'd made. "Do you want to stay?"

"Sure, oh wait. What about Naruto? Kiba's bringing him here later."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'd love to join us."

"But that's asking too much!" Hinata gasped, "You know how much he eats!"

Hana turned back to her, deep in thought, "That's a good point." Then she shrugged, "Oh well, I guess we'll have to help her cook."

Hinata shook her head, "I'll help cook. You can watch."

"Hinata!" Hana looked affronted, "I'm shocked. You never used to be this mean!"

"That was before I met you." Hinata replied with a smirk.

The two kunoichi laughed and left to find Kaori and begin the evening meal.

* * *

**Meanwhile, across town:**

It didn't take long for Kiba and Akamaru to find Naruto. He was leaving Ichiraku's and sighing when they caught sight of him.

"Oi Naruto." Kiba called, jogging over to him.

"Hey Kiba. Have you seen Hinata? I can't find her anywhere." Naruto asked as he scanned the area for any sight of her. Kiba bit his cheek to stop himself from grinning. Naruto looked really down because he couldn't find his girlfriend but knowing the reason for her avoidance, Kiba couldn't resist playing with him, just a little bit.

"Where have you looked?" He asked.

"Well, I started at her house, but her cousins were glaring at me and Hanabi said I should leave unless I was there to pay for the roof. I don't know why her family isn't nicer, you know? Hinata's really nice, but the rest of them, they're just mean!"

Kiba bit his other cheek to stop himself from laughing. He settled for just nodding, though Naruto hardly noticed as he continued listing where he'd been.

"So I came to Ichiraku's and she wasn't here, and I tried Kurenai's house and the park and your training grounds," He ticked each place off on his fingers as he named it, all the while looking at the sky and completely missing Kiba's red face as he was straining to contain his mirth. "And I asked Granny Tsunade but she told me to go away and I went to the Hokage Mountain 'cause I've taken her up there. And then it was lunch time, so I came back here and she still wasn't here. And I thought she might come looking for me so I hung around after I finished lunch but she never came. Have you seen her?"

Kiba fell over. He was rolling around on the ground, laughing his head off at the utter clueless-ness of his friend. Akamaru turned away, making small growling noises to express his embarrassment at Kiba's behavior and Naruto looked down at him confused and wondering what the joke was.

Then Kiba stood up, dusted himself off, took a deep breath to calm himself and reached over a hit Naruto, much like Sakura usually does but not quite as hard.

"You moron! She was avoiding you!"

"But why would she do that?"

"Why?" Kiba looked at him incredulously, "Because you broke her roof and embarrassed her in front of her family!"

Naruto looked at his feet, deep in thought. Akamaru barked and Kiba nodded.

"That's right. Naruto, you need to work on your entrances. You haven't been training with Guy and Lee have you?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I was. Last week." He replied, scratching his hair.

"Well, there you go. That was your problem." Kiba concluded. "You should really apologize to her."

"But how can I do that when I can't find her?"

"Don't worry about it. I know where she'll be at five o'clock, so if we just wait until then, it'll be all good."

"But it's only two thirty. What should we do until then?" whined Naruto.

"We could do some training." Kiba suggested.

"Nah, I don't feel like it."

Kiba looked over at him skeptically. This was not the Naruto he knew, and he could think of only one reason for it.

"Dude, you are so whipped!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"What the hell is wrong with you? The old Naruto would be halfway to the training grounds by now! You're just moping around, what's up with that?"

"It's just, I was thinking about Hinata and..." Naruto was cut off by the sound of a whip cracking.

"But I wasn't..." Kiba cut him off again. Naruto glared at him.

"That's really annoying!"

Kiba made the noise a third time, only to be tackled to the ground. This was the beginning of a fight that rolled all over the street. Akamaru chose, wisely, to stay out of it, and instead he sat on the sidelines and occasionally warned Kiba of incoming hits (but usually just as they made contact).

They'd been at it for about thirty minutes before they were forcibly separated and hauled off to the Hokage's office.


	7. Altercations

**Chapter 7**

* * *

"Public brawling? I expect my ninja to be better disciplined than that." Tsunade fumed. She was not amused with the situation, they'd given her more paperwork and disrupted her groove.

"Aww Granny, it wasn't a brawl. Just a friendly disagreement." Naruto whined while Kiba stood in front of her with his head down to hide his grin.

Tsunade scoffed, muttering to herself just loud enough that they could hear, "It's always the same. Men have fights but when they're hauled in for punishment, it's just a big laugh."

She looked up and glared when she heard someone laugh, "Did you hit your head? The only reason there was no damage was because you were on a wide street."

"See, no damage. Can we go now?"

"Brat, stop your whining!" She snapped. "Starting tomorrow, you are both on a week's suspension from duty. Any more trouble from either of you and it will be two weeks of d-ranked missions with no pay. Am I understood?" They both nodded. "If you want to fight, go to the training grounds. That's what they're there for."

Kiba nudged Naruto and whispered, "See I told you we should have gone training!"

"Shut up! This was your fault to begin with." He whispered back.

"Shut up both of you. And get out of my office!"

* * *

"So what should we do now?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it's four o'clock. Do you want to go training?"

"Nah, I used up all my energy already. I'm hungry, let's get ramen!" Naruto cried out and began heading towards Ichiraku's.

"No." Kiba said quickly.

"Why not?" He stopped suddenly, turning back to Kiba, who was still standing on the steps outside the Hokage tower.

"Because if Hinata found Kaori, I'm gonna have the best meal waiting for me at home."

"So?"

"So, I don't want to spoil my appetite." Kiba said, stating the obvious.

"Now who's whipped?" Naruto laughed.

"Dude, you would not be saying that if you'd eaten anything she's made." Kiba stated as he started walking down the street, unconsciously heading in the direction of his house.

"It's really that good?"

"Man, it's like a piece of heaven fell on the plate!"

"That's funny. I always thought heaven would taste like clouds." Naruto said looking up into the sky.

"I'm sorry man, but you really are a dobe!"

"Don't call me that! Hey, wait!" Naruto lunged at Kiba's shoulder, hanging off him, right in his face, "Who is this Kaori person? Is she your girlfriend?"

Kiba stopped walking, a light pink tinge appearing on his cheeks. "No! She's just a friend. Hana tricked her into making us meals."

"Oh, okay then." And they continued walking down the street until Naruto grinned.

"But you want her to be your girlfriend."

Kiba stopped again. "Why do you say that?"

Naruto stopped and looked back at him. "Aren't you the ladies' man? Don't you have a go at everything in a skirt?"

"I'm not that bad."

Naruto's answer was a snorted, "Whatever"

"I'm not!" Kiba stalked passed him and Naruto quickly caught up.

"That isn't important." Kiba began again slowing the pace back to a casual stroll. "I mean, even _if_ I wanted to, I can't even get her to talk to me."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"I think she's scared of me." He grumbled.

"Ha! Why would anyone be scared of you?"

"Hey! Plenty of people are scared of me! I'm a great ninja, I have a reputation."

"Maybe she's heard of you then." Naruto was grinning from ear to ear. It was sort of fun to have Kiba in this situation. He was usually so sure of himself.

"No, that can't be it. I don't think… I mean Hana said she's fairly sheltered, but…" Naruto's shoulders drooped as Kiba completely ignored the barb.

"Do you remember how Hinata used to blush or faint whenever you were around?"

"Yeah, but I thought she was just shy or had a fever or something." Naruto replied, hands behind his head again, "I mean she'd go all red and then faint. You tell me if that doesn't mean she's sick."

"But she did that because you made her nervous." Kiba explained, surprised that Naruto hadn't figured it out yet.

"I did?"

"Yeah, because she liked you." Kiba stopped, stunned at his friend, "You didn't know?"

"Well, I know she loves me. She told me that, you know, during that fight. But she didn't say anything about that other stuff."

"You're hopeless."

"What was your point?" Naruto growled, tired of having his ignorance thrown in his face.

"My point? Oh I don't know. It's just that Kaori always blushes too. Maybe I should be talking to a girl about this."

"Alright, now I'm confused _and_ hungry. Where are we meeting Hinata?"

"At my house," Kiba replied absent mindedly, then noticed that Naruto had taken off up the street, "but she might not be there yet."

"Let's wait there anyway." Naruto called back as he led the way to Kiba's house.

* * *

Back in the Inuzuka's kitchen, Hinata and Kaori were cooking up a lot of food and trying to give Hana a cooking lesson.

"GRAAA! I don't get it!" Hana snarled and threw her hands up. She went to storm from the room but the Haimaru brothers were blocking the doorway.

"Move it guys! I've had enough."

They barked and whined at her. Hana rolled her eyes and Kaori giggled. Hinata glanced over and smiled.

"What is it now?"

"It didn't work." Hana grumbled, stomping back to the stove. "It says put these in here and stir and I did that but it doesn't look like they said it should. Why do they write these instructions if the result is different?"

Hinata finished what she was doing and came over to see what Hana had done. She looked over the recipe then looked in the pot. Hana cringed at the shocked expression on Hinata's face.

"I stuffed it, didn't I?" She wrung her hands together.

"Um, w-well, did you put these ingredients in?" Hana nodded. "And these ones?" Just then the mixture released a bubble of gas and Hinata grimaced, "Yeah, I can see the egg. Did you turn up the heat while stirring smoothly?"

Hana opened her mouth to answer and then stopped and frowned. A sheepish grin appeared, "Oops!"

Kaori started giggling and all four dogs were giving doggy laughs. Hinata smiled wryly.

"That's where you went wrong. "Oops"!" She shook her head and moved back across the kitchen to check on another dish that was actually cooking as it was supposed to.

"So what do I do with it?" Hana gave the pot a side-long glance of distaste.

Hinata sighed, "You can either throw it out or try to fix it."

"I can fix it." Kaori offered. Hinata nodded and turned back to the dishes she was preparing, while Kaori began to fix Hana's mistake. She turned up the heat and made Hana stir it, despite her protests. Then she began adding extra ingredients.

"But that's not in the recipe! Hinata. She isn't following the recipe! Don't we have to follow it?"

Kaori paused, waiting for Hinata's answer.

"You can follow the recipe." said Hinata, adding under her breath, "Not that you did this time."

Then she looked over her shoulder at them, "But you don't have to. Kaori knows what she's doing."

Kaori blushed at the compliment and continued working. Hana didn't look convinced but it didn't take long for Kaori's efforts to be noticed. Instead of the slightly burnt off-meat smell, there was an absolutely heavenly fragrance coming from the pot. It filled the kitchen and spread out into the dining room, down the corridors, out the doors and windows, until there was a low cloud of beautiful, wonderful, glorious food smells wafting around the Inuzuka house. A light breeze blew down the street carrying the tantalizing aroma further a field, to the noses of Kiba, Naruto and Akamaru.

* * *

When the smell hit them, they immediately stopped and tried to savor it, breathing in great gulps of air. Kiba was breathing in so much he forgot to breathe out and almost fell over.

"What (sniff) is that (sniff) smell?" Naruto asked, trying to find the direction it was coming from.

"That, my friend, is why we didn't go for ramen." Kiba said, slapping Naruto on the shoulder before taking off for home.

He reached the yard before Naruto and Akamaru caught up. The smell was much stronger, being so much closer to the source, and Kiba was feeling a little light headed. They walked through the house, in a similar fashion to what Kiba had done the day before: eyes closed and leading with their noses.

They could hear the girls talking in the kitchen but all they could think about was the smell, THE SMELL!

Hana turned around when she heard Gurei yip. Then she stifled a chuckle at the sight of Kiba and Naruto standing in the doorway, eyes still closed, nostrils flaring as they breathed in.

Hinata and Kaori were still talking about what had and hadn't been put in to fix Hana's mess, so they hadn't noticed the two boys. In fact, they didn't notice until Kiba and Naruto were standing right behind them. Then Kiba leaned in.

"That smells delicious!" He said in a low voice, his head hovering above their shoulders.

Both girls squealed and jumped back. Hinata fell into Naruto's arms and they ended up against the cupboards on the other side of the kitchen. Kiba landed on the floor, sprawled out behind where he'd just been standing, and Kaori had panicked and tripped on his leg.

"Ah, my head." Kiba put a hand to his head, rubbing it where he'd hit it on the floor. Then he looked up to find Kaori's face not three inches from his own because she'd ended up on her hands and knees over the top of him.

"Uh, hi there."

"I uh… EEP!" Kaori stood up, and raced from the kitchen, stumbling slightly as she stood on Kiba's hand. Then they heard the outside door slam and the gate swung shut with a clatter.

"Kiba, go after her!" Hinata urged. He looked up at her then over at Hana, only to find that his sister had almost collapsed from laughing at him.

"You are cruel!" He growled, rubbing his hand as he stood before chasing after the girl.

"That was (gasp) oh my (gasp) I can't believe (snort)…" Hana struggled to communicate a coherent thought through her laughter.

"Oh shut up." Hinata groaned in exasperation. Then she realized she was being held. "N-Naruto?"

"I know her from somewhere…" Naruto muttered, then he blinked, "Hinata, I found you." He pulled her closer as he hugged her tight, giving her a small peck on the cheek. She smiled and relaxed into his embrace.

Hana groaned, "Oh please! Get a room!"

* * *

"Kaori? KAORI!" Kiba called as he searched for her down the street. He'd lost sight of her about three blocks from his house. His nose was still fixated on the food he'd left behind in his kitchen so he couldn't quite smell her. "Damn, I could sure use the Byakugan right now."

He stopped suddenly, next to the opening of an alleyway as his ears caught an odd noise. He ventured in between the buildings as his senses strained to make out what it was he'd heard. _Yep, there it is again. Someone's crying._

He made his way up the alley until he could see the small figure crouched against the wall.

"Kaori?" He called softly, but he knew it was her. Now he had to figure out what to do with her. _What to do with a crying girl? Hugs work, right?_

She looked up and gasped but before she could run again he grabbed her, pulling her into his chest and giving her a hug.

She didn't know what to do. Her brother had warned her about strange men and what they could do to her if they caught her alone. She remembered what Hana had told him that morning. She remembered all the things Moriko had said about him and other girls. She was panicking inside and didn't have the strength to pull away from him.

"It's ok. I'm sorry that I scared you." She could feel his voice rumbling through his chest along with his heartbeat, but she didn't hear what he said. She could feel his hands rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort or calm her, but it wasn't working.

"Are you going to rape me?" She managed to squeak out.

Kiba jolted like he'd been slapped. Slowly, he released her, pulling back so he could see her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

She could see the hurt and anger in his eyes and it scared her more. She began trembling slightly as she bit her lip and looked away. Fresh tears welled up, but she didn't say anything.

_What on earth gave her that idea?_ Kiba studied the girl in front of him. He could tell she was terrified but he was totally lost as to why. Then he realized, he didn't know anything about her and she didn't know anything about him. _For all she knows, I __**could**__ be the type to do that._ He let her out of his arms, hands resting on her shoulders to stop her from running, as he brought his face down to her level.

"Kaori, I promise I won't hurt you." He could tell she still didn't trust him.

"You're angry." She whispered, not able to look at him anymore.

_Of course I'm bloody angry!_ Kiba took in a deep breath to calm down.

"I'm not angry."

She turned away, hands covering her face. Kiba could hear her quiet sobs, as he knelt down in front of her.

"Hey, come on. Don't do that." He pried her hands away and wiped her tears off with his sleeve. "You can trust me, Kaori." He said softly.

She looked down at him through tear-stained eyes, her lip still trembling, "You aren't angry?"

"I'm not angry." He grinned up at her. "And I promise, I won't hurt you."

She wasn't entirely convinced, he could tell. Unsure what he could tell her but willing to try anything, he opened his mouth to speak but his stomach beat him to it.

He cringed as the hunger pangs hit him, glancing up at her to see her small, shy smile.

He sighed in relief, "See, that's better. Come on, we've got all that great food at home. Don't tell me you don't want any of it! I know I do!"

She gave a small laugh and her smile grew a little bigger. He offered her his hand. She hesitated for only a moment before slipping her hand into his. He squeezed it gently and led her back to his house.

He opened the door for her, ushering her into the dining room where Hinata and Naruto were sitting at the table, quietly talking.

"You!"

"You!"

Bark

"Oh great!"


	8. Food Time

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Naruto shot up out of his seat, despite Hinata's restraining hand, but he was unsure which female he was supposed to be aiming at. While Kiba and Kaori had been gone, Moriko had slunk around the edges of the room, avoiding all contact with Naruto. But with Kaori's shout, Moriko had leapt into position in front of the girl, hackles raised and teeth bared. She seemed the more dangerous of the two to Naruto, but Kiba had jumped forward to hold Kaori back, making Naruto question his judgement.

"Kaori, calm down." Kiba murmured in her ear, his arm around her waist. "It's only Naruto."

Kaori jumped, startled back into herself only to find she had her back pressed up against Kiba. All the fight drained out of her as she nervously turned her head to look at him.

"But he's… it was… he hurt her!" She spluttered, blushing bright red. Kiba grinned down at her while Moriko turned round to face him with a questioning look.

"Yes, he did. I know, but the only reason she's upset is because you're holding a grudge."

"But, but he's uh… what?"

"Don't worry, Kaori. I'm sure he'll apologize." Kiba turned his grin on Naruto, who wasn't following the exchange very well. Hinata whispered something in his ear and the confusion cleared from his face. With a very goofy, but friendly grin, Naruto walked towards them. Kaori tensed, causing Moriko to tilt her head up and yip. Kiba glanced down at her and shook his head.

Naruto knelt in front of the little white dog as she turned around to face him. She lifted her lip, revealing her sharp, white teeth in a silent snarl. Naruto pulled his hand back quickly, nervously waiting until Kiba nudged the dog with his foot.

"Behave." He growled.

Moriko whined and sat awkwardly, her leg still a little stiff. She glanced from Kiba to Naruto, as the latter again reached out to pat her head.

"I'm sorry I hurt you the other day." He murmured, scratching Moriko's ears. She gave a little bark and raised her head, offering her throat. Naruto grinned again as he obliged her.

"See. It's all fine." Kiba said to Kaori, still holding onto her.

"Not quite." said Naruto, standing up. He looked Kaori in the eye and continued, "I'm sorry Kaori. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Do you forgive me?"

Kaori stared at him as if he'd suddenly grown another head. Then the blush that had been receding come back twice as strong and she sagged against Kiba, her eyes rolling up as she fainted.

"Damn it, Naruto! Do you do this on purpose?" Kiba growled as he swung Kaori's limp body up into his arms and carried her to the nearest bed (which happened to be in his room, upstairs).

"Does that mean she likes me too?" Naruto asked in confusion. Hinata gave him a kiss on her way passed, as she followed Kiba up the stairs.

"Don't worry about me, Hinata." He called to her and she flashed a smile over her shoulder.

Then Hana came out of the kitchen.

"Hey, where'd everybody go?"

"Kiba's room, wait OH NO! THE FOOD!" Naruto rushed out of the room as he realized that Kiba's domestically-inept sister had been watching their meal.

"What are they doing in Kiba's room?" She asked in confusion. Akamaru barked from the foot of the stairs then Hinata appeared.

"What's going on?"

"It's nothing really. Kaori fainted." Hinata replied. Hana raised an eyebrow.

"Was it Kiba or Naruto?"

"We'll have to ask her that when she wakes up."

* * *

Kiba had laid Kaori down on his bed, glad that he'd made it that morning. Then he'd taken a seat on the other side, waiting for her to wake up. The bed was fairly large because he shared it with Akamaru, so there was plenty of room for him to sit without touching her. He sat looking at her for all of one minute before he was tempted to touch her hair or face. He was reaching out when she moved slightly and he pulled back. Then he put his hands together and looked out the window.

Hinata brought him some food a short while later.

"You could leave, you know. She'll wake up when she's ready."

"No, I'll stay. I think she'll be confused waking up in here."

"Kiba, that's sweet, but you know you make her really nervous."

Kiba chuckled, "Its ok, Hinata. We'll be fine."

"Alright then. Maybe I should stay too."

"No. You go. Stop Naruto from doing something stupid or ruining the food."

Hinata grimaced, "Yeah, he already tried to challenge Hana to an eating contest."

"Idiot."

Hinata closed the door quietly and went to stop anymore of Naruto's plans before he destroyed the rest of the food. Kiba shook his head at his friend's antics before looking down at his plate. He breathed in the wonderful aroma, inhaling deeply. It smelt divine. As he began cutting into his meal, an idea struck him.

Stabbing a chunk meat with his fork, he carefully carried it over to Kaori and held it near her nose. Making sure it wasn't dripping on her, he waved it around hoping to rouse her. He watched with delight as her nose twitched and she took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes.

He was leaning over her, so the first thing she saw was his grinning face (and a chunk of meat on a fork).

She panicked, cried out and fell off the bed. Kiba rocked backwards and dropped the fork. He picked it up and the meat and tossed it on the plate, before leaning on the edge of the bed.

"Kaori, are you alright?" She was curled up on the floor, shaking like a leaf, until she heard his voice.

"Kaori?"

"Kiba?" She whispered, lifting her head a little bit.

"Yeah, it's me." He climbed down next to her, putting a hand on her back and raising her to look at him. "Are you alright? You gave us quite a scare."

"Where am I?"

"Well, you fainted, and I uh brought you up here. It's my uh, it's my bedroom." He laughed nervously, scratching his head and remembering their conversation in the alleyway. Then she reacted.

She shot up and away from him, running straight at the door but, in her panicked state, she couldn't work the handle. She started crying out and sending him terrified glances over her shoulder.

"Kaori! It isn't like that! CALM DOWN!" He approached her cautiously, slowly and she shrank away from him.

"I promised I wouldn't hurt you, remember?" He held his hands out pleadingly in front of him as he continued towards her. She slid down the wall in the corner of his room, tears running down her cheeks, her face buried in her hands.

He knelt in front her, unsure what to do now, because the whole hugging thing hadn't really worked in the alley. Then he noticed she was saying something.

"Minoru? He's your brother, isn't he?"

She looked up in shock at his words. She'd been expecting him to touch her, not start a conversation.

"I think I've heard of him."

"Really?"

'Yeah, isn't he a jounin? Do you want some food?"

Shock was replaced by confusion, and she tilted her head as she stared at him. Kiba had to bite back a laugh: she looked like Moriko.

"I'm sure there's still some downstairs but if there isn't, you can have mine. I haven't started it yet."

Fresh tears started flowing down her cheeks as she continued to stare at him. He reached out and wiped them away.

"Don't cry, Kaori. Tears don't suit you." Then he found himself knocked backwards as Kaori tackled him in a big teary-eyed hug. She was crying into his shirt.

"What'd I do?"

"You're so nice!" She sobbed, twisting handfuls of his shirt, "And I didn't trust you."

He wrapped his arms around her with a low chuckle. "Its okay, Kaori. It's fine. Come on now, stop crying. Give us a smile." He raised her chin so he could see her face. He almost cheered when she moved passed her hesitation, offering him a shy smile. "No more tears?"

She shook her head and he wiped the last of them from her face with his thumbs, bringing her face closer and giving her a light kiss on the forehead. "Good."

She sat up, kneeling between his legs, blushing bright red but still smiling that shy little smile. Even as he grinned at her, watching that blush darken, Kiba decided she had a really nice smile.

But before the silence reached that stretched, awkward state, they were interrupted by a series of whines and yips, with a side note of scratching at the door.

Kiba opened the door to find Akamaru standing there. Moriko had rushed passed him (despite her leg) to Kaori as soon a gap appeared, and was now licking Kaori's face. She stopped abruptly and glared balefully at Kiba for a moment, until Akamaru barked at her. Kiba narrowed his eyes at the exchange, looking back at Akamaru in question. Akamaru gave a doggy shrug before yipping and heading back downstairs.

"Come on, Kaori. Akamaru said Hinata's saving us some food." He offered her a hand to stand up, which she accepted despite Moriko's growling. They had walked all the way down the hallway and the stairs when Kiba remembered the plate of food on his bed.

"Go on in. I'll be back in a minute." He turned and ran back up the stairs, completely missing Kaori's look of mild panic. Moriko gripped her pants with her teeth, dragging Kaori round the corner and into the dining area.

"Hey Kaori!"

"Back among the living!"

Hana and Naruto called as she appeared. Hinata shot them a warning glance before beckoning the shyer girl over to the table. "I saved you some food."

"Hey, where'd Kiba go?" Naruto asked loudly. "And what was all that noise just before? What _were_ you doing?"

Any further lewd comments were cut off by Hana's hand making contact with Naruto's head. Unfortunately, he'd said enough for Kaori to understand what he was insinuating. When Kiba walked in two seconds later, he found Naruto rubbing his head and glaring at Hana who was sitting next to him with a look of smug satisfaction. Hinata had her back to him, but Kiba could tell she was tensed. And Kaori was staring at Naruto with a look of abject horror on her face, which turned to deep humiliation as she noticed Kiba's entrance. After considering the situation in front of him, Kiba narrowed his eyes at the cause of the mess, undoubtedly Naruto. He stalked over to the table, dropped the plate, hauled Naruto out of his chair, politely excused himself and dragged Naruto out into the backyard, ignoring his loud protests.

The three girls remained at the table, with Hinata and Hana quietly resuming their meal and encouraging Kaori to eat. Ignoring the shouts and cries of pain, and only wincing slightly at the crashing noises, they continued eating for around fifteen minutes. Then the backyard fell silent.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Kaori asked in quiet concern, though she had been shooting worried glances at the backyard the whole time.

"No, don't worry about them." Hana replied, in an off-hand manner, not worried at all.

"They'll come in when they're finished." Hinata told her, "Would you like some more?"

Kaori shook her head slowly, astonished at their attitudes. Her head whipped back around as the door opened and Kiba and Naruto entered. They were filthy, their clothes were torn and each had an assortment of small cuts, welts and abrasions.

Before they could start walking towards the table, Hana stood and pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Don't even think about it." She growled. The boys disappeared into the bathroom and she sat back down.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Kaori asked, rising from her chair.

"No." Hana replied, "Naruto will heal by himself and Kiba knows where the firstaid kit is, if he needs it. Besides, you know boys and their scars." She finished with a grin. Hinata smiled and nodded in reassurance. Kaori looked skeptically between them. Both smile and grin vanished when the boys emerged from the hallway.

As they approached the table, Kiba nudged Naruto. They took their seats, with Naruto turning to Kaori.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, Kaori." He said quietly. Kaori nodded, incapable of speaking. Then Naruto grinned, happy and boisterous again.

"Alright, food time!" Kiba rubbed his hands together before digging in. He filled his mouth then his eyes widened and he spat the food back onto the plate.

"It's cold!"

They couldn't help it; everybody laughed.


	9. Late Night Walks

**Chapter 9**

* * *

While Kiba was eating some reheated food, it was decided that Naruto and Hana would be washing up. Well, actually, Naruto would wash up and Hana would put the dishes away. Of course Naruto cheated and used shadow clones and Hana snuck out through the back door to go prowling through the late-night markets.

In the meantime, Kiba was hoping for a little chat with Kaori, with Hinata's help, of course. It hurt his pride to admit it, but Kiba was yet to figure out exactly how to talk to Kaori without having her embarrassed, crying, running away or a combination of all of the above. So he finished eating leaving Hinata to start the conversation and Naruto to do the dishes. (And if you're wondering, Hana helped Naruto create a clone of herself in the hopes that Kiba wouldn't notice her absence. He didn't because he was more focused on the conversation with Kaori that was occurring in the living room.)

"You're a ninja too?" Kaori asked Hinata as Kiba re-entered the room.

"She sure is!" Kiba said proudly, taking a seat next to, but not too close to, Kaori on the couch. "She's one of the greatest kunoichi in the village."

"BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted from the kitchen where he was eavesdropping while finishing off the food. Hinata blushed.

Kaori blushed too, as she leaned forward to whisper, "Is he really Naruto Uzumaki?"

Hinata nodded while Kiba looked at her confused and a little bit hurt.

"_He_ saved the village?" Kaori squeaked.

Hinata nodded again, not missing how Kiba was now staring at his hands.

"But he's so clumsy!" Kaori blurted out, before clapping her hands over her mouth. There was a moment of stunned silence then the sound of Naruto falling off one of the kitchen benches.

"Don't worry, I'll clean that up." Naruto called from the kitchen as Kiba burst into relieved laughter and Hinata and Kaori began giggling.

"Is that why you fainted earlier?" Hinata asked as they began to calm down. Kaori instantly blushed darker, her giggles stopping entirely. Kiba looked at her in alarm.

"Are you okay, Kaori?"

She sidled away from him as he leaned toward her, so he pulled back. Then she whispered something in Hinata's ear, causing Hinata to smile knowingly.

Before Kiba could ask any questions, the clock in the hall struck nine o'clock and Kaori jumped up in a panic.

"Oh no! It's nine o'clock! I have to get home!"

* * *

As Kaori dashed down the hall to gather her things, Hinata stood up and stretched.

"I need to go home too."

Kiba stood up and Naruto came out of the kitchen. "We'll walk you."

Kaori came dashing back into the room, with Moriko tacking along behind her.

"Calm down, Kaori." Kiba said, as he caught her arm as she tried to run passed him. "We'll all go together."

Kaori looked unsure for a moment, then Hinata caught her eye and nodded.

Kaori gave a nervous nod, "Alright then."

They grabbed the rest of their things and headed out the back door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Kiba asked Moriko as he lifted the little dog off the ground. She barked harshly at him. "I don't think so, girl."

Moriko barked again and was answered by Akamaru's angry bark. Kaori took in a small gasp.

"You watch your tone, missy." Kiba said angrily. "That's Hana's call, not mine. And there's no need for name-calling."

Naruto watched the exchange with amusement, while Hinata was confused and Kaori was embarrassed. Moriko barked again then let out a series of yips and whines.

"Can't she come, Kiba? Just for the walk?"

"And then she'll beg to stay at your house, 'just for a little while!' which will turn into the whole night and she'll never come back and Hana will kill me." He shook his head. "No, Kaori. She stays here."

Kaori scratched the dog's head then nodded, allowing Kiba to take Moriko back inside and closed the door.

"Alright, let's get you girls home."

* * *

It was a pleasant night. There was a very light breeze, it wasn't too cold and the humidity was low. As the four young people made their way out into the streets, they separated into pairs.

Naruto pulled Hinata ahead and they walked hand in hand. Occasionally, Naruto would swing their hands and grin down at Hinata, while she would watch him whenever she thought he wasn't looking.

Kiba, Akamaru and Kaori drifted along behind. They walked in silence, mostly, with Kaori giving vague directions and Kiba yelling at Naruto that he was going the wrong way.

"Is your brother home?" Kiba asked, attempting to make a conversation.

"I don't know." _But I hope not. He'll kill me for being out this late._

Kiba glanced down at her only to find she was deep in thought. They continued quietly until they came to a 'T' junction and caught up to Hinata and Naruto.

"Which way now?" Naruto asked, looking up and down the street. Kaori glanced up and almost fell over.

"Oh, it's this one." She said nervously, pointing at the apartment building in front of them. "Well, thank you for walking me. It's late, I'd better go." And Kaori took off towards the building.

"But we should really walk you to your door." Kiba stated.

Kaori stopped and turned back. "Don't worry about that." She said, waving them off with forced cheerfulness. "It's on the fifth floor. You don't have to walk up all those steps."

"We just want to make sure you get in."

"It's okay. I'll wave from the balcony." She said. Then she turned and ran through the front door of the building.

The apartments were in two towers connected by a central stairwell that wasn't entirely enclosed. They could see Kaori at each landing as she ran up the stairs. She made good time and waved them off from the fifth floor landing.

As they waved and moved off to Hinata's house, Naruto asked, "Did anyone else think that was strange?"

Kiba and Hinata both agreed.

"I don't think she lives there." Hinata said quietly.

Kiba glanced over his shoulder briefly, "I wonder why she lied."

* * *

As soon as they disappeared from view, Kaori ran up the rest of the stairs to the roof. She checked her surroundings and then jumped, landing on a building across the street. She continued building-hopping until she reached a small, white, two-story house, one kilometer away from where she'd left the ninja. The outside light was on and she cringed.

Her brother _was_ home.

Touching down in the small yard, she let herself in through the back-door.

"So nice of you to come home, sister."

* * *

Kiba, Naruto, Hinata and Akamaru arrived at the Hyuga compound shortly after leaving Kaori, to find that key members of the clan were waiting for them.

"Good evening, Father." Hinata greeted him pleasantly.

"Hinata." He nodded to her. His relationship with her had changed following _that_ fight. Although he was never one for public displays of affection, Hinata, and even Hanabi, had been on the receiving end of a number of warm hugs behind closed doors.

Hinata turned to wish the boys a good night but Hiashi stopped her.

"Hinata, I wish to speak with Uzumaki in private."

Hinata looked nervously between Naruto, who had a sheepish grin on his face, and Kiba who was trying not to laugh. The other members of the clan; Hiashi, Hanabi, Neji and a few of the elders, watched dispassionately.

"Sir." Naruto gave a small bow, flashed Hinata a smile, then followed his girlfriend's father, as the older man left with a completely serious look on his face.

The doors of Hiashi's office closed with a dull thud.

"Is this about the roof?" Hinata asked her sister.

"Oh, yeah." Hanabi smirked back, which caused Kiba to release a few chuckles, drawing everyone's attention to him. He looked back, still laughing.

"What? I didn't do anything."

"It's hardly a laughing matter." Neji rebuked him. "Several people required medical treatment."

"Like you weren't excited to see Tenten last month." Hinata muttered, loud enough for Hanabi, Kiba and Neji to hear. The former two smirked.

Neji's face coloured slightly and he turned on his cousin, "I didn't break her roof." He hissed.

"No," Hinata agreed demurely, "You went in through the window…"

"And broke her bed." Hanabi finished.

Kiba howled with laughter as Neji _tried_ to school his expression into one that wouldn't further embarrass him. The Elders shot troubled glances at them from their huddle. Neji prayed they hadn't heard anything.

As the laughter quietened down, they waited semi-patiently for Naruto to come out. The Elders stood in their huddle talking. Neji stood stoic, as usual, unless he caught one of the three laughing, then he huffed. Kiba was sitting next to Akamaru on the ground, laughing at Neji and waiting in anticipation for Naruto to come out. There was no way he was missing Naruto's punishment; it was sure to be something public and humiliating.

Hinata and Hanabi stood a little way away from Neji, swinging between worry for Naruto and amusement with Neji. Well, actually, for Hanabi, it was amusement and malicious glee on account of both guys.

Then, finally, the door to Hiashi's study opened and both men re-entered the courtyard. Hiashi nodded to the Elders, who came to stand behind him. Hinata, Hanabi and Neji, recognizing a formal audience, stood to one side as Naruto took a position in front of Hiashi.

Then Naruto bowed his head, raised his arms in front of him, one hand fisted in the palm of the other and knelt in front of the Hyugas.

"My deepest apologies for my errant behaviour." Naruto said seriously, his head still bowed. Then he paused. Kiba could tell he was struggling to remember something, and guessed it was the formal words that Hiashi had told him to say. But only Kiba could see, because he was still sitting on the ground.

"Uh…"

Hiashi's frown deepened.

"Uh…"

Hinata bit her lip.

"Uh…"

Hanabi smirked while Neji rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm really sorry about the roof. I'll pay to have it fixed! Honest!" Naruto burst out.

If it had been anyone other than the Hyugas, they would have slapped themselves in the head.

"And the medical bills! And a whole new dinner! Only please, let me keep Hinata and all my organs!"

Hinata gasped, turning to stare at her father while Kiba rolled around on the ground, laughing his head off. The Elders were muttering among themselves and at Hiashi, while Hanabi smirked. Then Neji's voice cut across the noise.

"Considering it's Naruto, that really is the best he can do, Uncle."

Hiashi grunted and nodded, and Naruto, who had cautiously raised his head, sagged to the ground in relief.

"Escort him," Hiashi ordered, pointing at Naruto, "and him," and Kiba, "out of the compound. Girls, we will retire now."

The Elders moved off as Neji and two other guards led a very relieved Naruto and a still laughing Kiba out of the courtyard.

"Hinata." Hiashi called.

Hinata stood, watching them leave.

"Hinata, inside."

Hinata nodded but didn't move.

"Bye Hinata. I'll see you tomorrow!" Naruto called as the gates were closed.

"Come on, Hinata. It's late." Neji said, stepping up in front of her.

"Thank you, Neji." Hinata gave him a hug then ran to the door her father was holding open. "Father." She said, bowing her head to him.

A very small smile quirked one side of his mouth as Hiashi watched his elder daughter enter their home. He turned to Neji and wished him a good night, before closing the door.

* * *

The trip home was interesting. Naruto had been about to leave Kiba and head for his own home, when a tipsy Hana had run into him and fallen over. The man she was with had apologized to Naruto and tried to help her up when he found himself nose to nose with a very angry Kiba.

"What the hell are you doing with my sister?"

Before the man could say anything about two consenting adults, and find himself headfirst in the nearest wall, Hana had sighed and stood up.

"I guess the party's over. My chaperone has arrived."

Now it was Naruto's turn to laugh as Hana went over and began prying Kiba's fingers from the man's collar, all the while telling him what a nice time she'd had.

"And if my overprotective brother hasn't scared you off, I'd love to hang out again sometime." She said, smoothing out the wrinkles in the man's shirt. The man was glaring over Hana's shoulder at Kiba, who was scowling back. Then he looked down at Hana and smiled.

"Any time you're free, sweetheart." He leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek, despite Kiba's threatening growls. "I'll wait for you right here."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow night at seven o'clock."

Kiba took his sister's elbow and led her away, determined to keep her inside until after ten tomorrow night, no matter what he had to do. Hana waved back to her date, smiling cheerfully, until they went around a corner.

"Kiba, you're such a spoilsport." She grumbled as she staggered along. Naruto stepped over beside her, propping her up.

"You know he just wants to keep you safe." He said quietly, though he was still grinning slightly.

Hana spat, "I was a chunin before you guys even entered the academy. I've been a ninja longer than the two of you put together. I don't _need_ your protection."

They stumbled through the doorway of their house and Kiba swung Hana up into his arms and carried her to her room. He placed her gently on her bed and removed her sandals.

"I'm not drunk, Kiba." Hana protested feebly, though she could admit to herself, that her bed felt _so _nice.

"Go to sleep, Hana." He pulled her blankets up.

"I'm telling mum on you!"

"Yeah, whatever." He held the door open for the Haimaru brothers who slunk in and joined her on the bed. "Good night Hana."

"Good night, Kiba." She heard the door click shut. "Thank you for worrying."


	10. Missing Person

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Tsume and Kuromaru arrived home around ten o'clock the following morning, to a scene that would have been funny had it occurred in an average household, one not containing ninjas responsible for other's safety.

They had traveled through the night and been dismissed for the near future; thus they were quite weary. Tsume was too proud to admit it but she was beginning to feel the effects of her age. (Kuromaru wasn't too proud but he reserved those comments for the privacy of their home.) So, it was with a lack of patience for adolescents and an abundance of irritability that Tsume entered her home.

"HAHAHAHAH! Crack!"

Boyish laughter sounded from the dining room and Tsume rounded the corner to find Kiba and Naruto all but lying on the table with a bowl of fruit between them, a couple of plates and a few kunai. Some of the fruit was cut into pieces but none appeared to have been eaten.

Kiba was holding his stomach as he laughed while Naruto reached for an orange and a banana. Then Kiba noticed his mother standing in the doorway with a vein pulsating in her forehead. His laughter died when he saw the damage she'd done to the door post.

"What the hell are you two doing?" She yelled, her grip destroying the door post; sending splinters spraying out into the room.

Kiba gulped nervously while Naruto raised a piece of plum.

"Eating fr-fruit?" He stuttered.

Ten seconds later, both boys were on their backsides, in the yard, as the door slammed shut behind them.

"Mother?" Kiba queried, nervously.

The door swung open and Kuromaru emerged.

"If you want to die, continue acting like children." He growled, before moving back inside and closing the door.

"I guess going back in is out." Naruto shrugged and stood up. He dusted himself off and helped Kiba to his feet. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Kiba scratched the back of his head and looked around. "I was half-expecting Kaori to show up."

"Even after last night?"

Kiba nodded then a sly grin crossed his face, "You going round to Hinata's today? Even after last night?"

Naruto grinned nervously as colour rose in his cheeks. "You don't think they'd hold that against me, do you? I mean, they wouldn't keep Hinata away from me, right?"

"Didn't work before." Kiba muttered as he walked out of the yard.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Kiba said quickly as he ran away, whistling for Akamaru as he went. Naruto rushed after him, shouting.

* * *

As the sounds of the boys disappeared down the street, Hana looked up from her work to find Kuromaru in the doorway.

"You're back."

He nodded and jumped onto the table as she crossed the room.

"Any aches or pains I should know about?" She asked as she began a routine check up.

"She's limping again." He replied gruffly. Hana clicked her tongue in annoyance, then leaned in when Kuromaru flinched.

"Hold still. I'll have to stitch that up." She continued working for a while, in a serious silence, accompanied by restrained groans from the hound. Once she was satisfied with the result, she gave a brief nod and Kuromaru leapt off the table and shook himself out.

"Before we even attempt to deal with Mother," Hana said, while collecting her human first aid kit, "Could you explain why you're carrying that scent?"

Kuromaru turned back and eyed her with aloofness.

"Although it hardly matters," He grouched, "I'll have you know, that I too, enjoy being petted, occasionally."

"Right." Hana grinned, knowing there was a story there but willing to let the hound have this round. She swung her kit off the bench and proceeded to cautiously approach her mother's room.

* * *

"Lady Hinata is not available."

Naruto's face screwed up and he open his mouth to whine, "But…"

"I'm sorry, but you cannot enter." The guard cut him off. Both boys could tell, the last thing he was, was sorry.

"Well, what's she doing? I just want to say hello. I promised her I would."

"Oh, well then. That changes everything."

"Really?"

"No."

Naruto growled this time, while Kiba eyed the man speculatively. "You must be a real distant cousin."

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you appear to have a sense of humour."

Naruto let out a laugh, before covering his mouth and pretending to cough. The guard glared at him briefly, then turned back to Kiba.

"It isn't a very good one though. I'd keep working on it, if I was you."

A vein bulged in the young man's forehead, then he closed his eyes, took several deep breaths and, inwardly, counted to ten. He straightened his shoulders and resumed his position in front of the gates.

"Lady Hinata is not available. You will have to leave."

Naruto groaned but Kiba pulled him away and began whispering in his ear. While they were busy, the gate opened and Neji passed the guard a letter. Seeing the two younger shinobi in deep discussion, he called out.

"Don't even bother, you two."

They looked up in surprise, then attempted to feign innocence.

"Hinata can't come out. She's busy. If you don't disturb her, she should be free tomorrow."

"Can't I just…"

"No."

"Does this have anything to do with…"

"No." Neji replied abruptly, then he disappeared inside and the gate swung shut.

Naruto frowned as he surveyed the gate. "I bet they're stopping her from leaving." He said lowly, "That's what this is."

Kiba's eyebrows shot up then he smirked, "Is that right?"

"Yep. So, here's what we'll do…"

"Excuse me."

Both boys turned to see the guard holding out a folded piece of paper. Naruto's name had been clearly written on it.

"What's that?"

"Lady Hinata wished that you be given this. Please read it _before_ you attempt to storm the grounds."

Naruto scowled at the amused look on the guard's face as he snatched up the note. It read:

_Dear Naruto,_

_I'm really sorry, but something has come up and I cannot join you today. I'll meet you in your garden tomorrow morning, so please, try to stay out of trouble._

_Love Hinata._

"Aw, how sweet."

"Hey, get out!" Naruto yelled, hiding the paper from Kiba, "At least I know my girl loves me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba growled, eyes narrowed.

Naruto smirked smugly and folded his arms. "You don't even know where she is."

The two boys squared off, dropping into fighting stances and scowling. Kiba was a little annoyed to see that Akamaru was, again, staying out of the fight and had lain down in the shade of the wall. Naruto smirked at the sight, causing Kiba to growl threateningly. They jumped apart when two kunai embedded themselves in the ground between their feet.

"If you two are going to fight, I suggest you take it to the training grounds."

"Good morning, Tenten." The guard called as the kunoichi stepped around the boys and approached the gate.

"Good morning, Hideo. Has Neji left yet?"

"No, he's barring the gate from the inside." Naruto sulked. Tenten laughed, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok, Naruto. Hinata will see you tomorrow, I'm sure."

"So, what's going on, Tenten?" Kiba asked curiously.

Tenten grinned. "Hyuga family business, I'm afraid. All very hush-hush." She winked at them both just as Neji exited the grounds.

"Morning, Tenten." He greeted his teammate, casting an eye over the two younger men who were still lingering, "Why are you still here?"

Naruto grinned goofily while Kiba folded his arms with a look of amusement. Neji stared at him, in an unnerving way but Kiba refused to be cowed. The staring competition was starting to make Tenten nervous and she smiled uncertainly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"How have you been sleeping, Tenten?"

Neji's eyes narrowed as Tenten, a little confused and nervous, answered, "Just fine, Kiba. Why do you ask?"

"You're not _breaking_ in a new bed?"

Naruto could barely contain his laughter, while Neji's vein was about to pop through his head. Tenten's face went pale then red and she stepped back into Neji and whispered something harsh. Then she smiled sweetly.

"Have fun today, boys. Try not to wreck anything." Then she grabbed Neji's sleeve and the two left hastily, the sound of laughter following them down the street.

"So. What should we do now?" Naruto asked, straightening his forehead protector. Kiba shrugged then Naruto's stomach growled.

"I guess that means its lunch time." He said, while Naruto grinned sheepishly. Then a thought struck him and Kiba turned on his heel and raced off, calling over his shoulder, "I bet Kaori's cooking something right now!"

* * *

As it turned out, Kaori was not cooking at that moment. At least, not in the Inuzuka household; a fact that left a bitter taste in Kiba's mouth upon his discovery. He had reached his home only to find a grumpy Hana unloading various takeouts, while her three dogs circled the table sullenly. Moriko was hiding in the hallway, shooting fearful glances towards the vet and disdainful looks at the kitchen.

"Where's Kaori?" Kiba asked breathlessly.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Hana grumbled, before cursing when the tray of takeout food slopped onto the table as she pulled it out of the bag. "Kiba, whatever you did, you had better fix it."

"What _I_ did?" Kiba asked in disbelief, as Naruto ran in. Akamaru, seeing an argument brewing, retreated to the passage way and flopped to the floor next to Moriko.

Hana slammed another dish down on the table then stormed into the kitchen to grab a towel. "I left her with you last night, and now: where is she? Hmm?" She called from the kitchen. She reappeared with the towel and began wiping up the mess.

"Yeah, well. I didn't do anything!" Kiba protested while Naruto ventured towards the food only to have his hand flicked with the soggy towel.

"Hey! What's up with you?" Naruto cried as he pulled his hand back.

Hana looked at them both then dropped into one of the chairs and put her head in her hands. "I failed again! I followed the recipe! I did everything Hinata and Kaori told me to and it still failed!"

"Wait, you cooked?" Kiba asked incredulously, "Why did you do that?"

"And Mum's back and she won't listen to me, so I'll have to drag Shizune in to see her. And I really just wish that Kaori had've come today!" Hana continued, ignoring what she thought was an inane question from her brother.

"What's wrong with Mum?"

"She hurt her leg again." Hana looked up just as Kiba turned to race up the stairs, "No! Don't go up!"

"Why not?"

"She threw me out. She's going to sleep for the rest of the day and she doesn't want to be disturbed until evening." Hana said, turning back to the mess she'd made on the table, only to find that Naruto had cleaned most of it and helped himself to the food.

He smiled nervously and asked, through a mouthful of food, if she minded. With a sigh, Hana waved him on and he resumed eating.

"So, what should I do?" Kiba asked in annoyance.

Hana stared up at him with a blank face and slowly shook her head. "Idiot." She muttered, "Eat lunch. Go out. Find Kaori." She stood up and left the table. As she left the room, she called over her shoulder, "I don't want take out for dinner."

* * *

"So, where do we find Kaori?" Naruto asked as he pushed the empty containers aside and sat back. He looked over at Kiba expectantly.

Kiba shrugged then folded his hands behind his head.

"You don't know?"

"I have trouble tracking her." Kiba admitted, a little embarrassed, then he shrugged again. "She smells like wildflowers and sunshine. That scent hangs over the village."

He narrowed his eyes and scowled when Naruto failed at suppressing his laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Dude, that was such a girly thing to say!" Naruto cried out, coming close to hitting his head on the table as he gave up trying to hide his amusement.

Kiba would have retorted except that two of Hana's dogs re-entered the room and barked gruffly. Taking the hint, Kiba and Naruto left the house. Had they started fighting inside and woken his mother, Kiba knew there would be hell to pay. So the two headed into town with the aim of information gathering to locate their missing cook.

"I reckon we ask Shikamaru." Naruto said emphatically. "I'm sure he'll know something relevant."

"That lazy bum only pays attention when the chick from Suna is around." Kiba sniggered.

Naruto smirked, "Or when Ino starts yelling."

Kiba stopped and grabbed Naruto's arm, "Dude, that's brilliant!"

"What is?"

"Ino! She would know where we can find Kaori. Ino knows everybody's business!"

"Yeah? There's just one problem." Naruto replied, nervously scratching his head.

"What's the problem?" Kiba asked as he began walking in the direction of the chunin mission office, "Don't tell me you pulled that prank on her…"

"No! No, no, no, no!" Naruto shook his head repeatedly, "No, I just noticed the other day, in the old lady's office..."

"What?"

"Ino's on leave. She has a week off after her last mission." Naruto changed their direction, leading Kiba into the market district.

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." Naruto echoed, as they turned the corner, "And where does Ino spend her time when she's on leave?"

They stopped as the Yamanaka flower shop came into view, the scent of flowers drifting on the breeze.

Akamaru whined and hid behind Naruto while Kiba shuddered. Then he straightened his shoulders, "Not to worry. I can handle it."

"Don't do it, Kiba! It's not worth it!" Naruto cried, holding Kiba back.

"I have to! We won't be able to find Kaori any other way!" Kiba protested, throwing Naruto off and taking a deep breath.

He marched forward; head held high, a look of agony on his face, as sweat began pouring down his body.

_Just a few more steps! Almost there! Just go through the door!_

"Ino? I…"

Ino looked up from the flowers she was arranging as Kiba fainted in the doorway, the concentrated smell of the flowers too much for his sensitive nose. She started toward him but turned as her father entered the shop from the back room.

"Ino, I heard something! Oh." Taking in the situation, Inoichi smirked, "Wow. One step inside. Impressive."

"Dad!" Ino rolled her eyes as she crossed the shop to help Naruto drag Kiba outside.

Inoichi just chuckled, "Works every time!"

"You're a cruel, cruel man!" Naruto called as he dragged his friend outside to the fresh air.

"Self-preservation, my boy." Inoichi replied, standing in the doorway and watching their progress across the street. "You have to use your enemy's strength against them."

Ino rolled her eyes again, as they propped the still comatose Inuzuka on the bench across the street. "At least he was nice enough to provide the seat."

"Be thankful for small mercies." Inoichi called before re-entering the shop with a little old lady customer.

"No matter what he says, I can't believe Tsume was that bad!" Naruto remarked, while waving a handkerchief in front of Kiba's face. He was referring to the reason Inoichi always gave when questioned about his shop.

"Old people always exaggerate." Ino agreed, gently shaking Kiba in an effort to wake him.

"I need information!" Kiba shouted as he came round and sat bolt upright. Ino jumped in fright and Naruto fell over. He then stood up and hit Kiba over the head for scaring him. Ino giggled then set a restraining hand on their shoulders.

"What information?" She asked, still smiling as they scowled at each other.

"We're…"

"You mean, you." Naruto interrupted, before turning to Ino, "Kiba's got himself a crush!"

"Shut up! She's just a friend!"

"For how long? You ran off with her pretty quick last night!"

Kiba's face reddened slightly and he glared up at Naruto, no comebacks coming to mind because Naruto's relationship with Hinata was both widely acknowledged and approved. It was only Ino's intense and slightly unnerving attention to the conversation that brought them both back to their current mission.

"So, who is she?"

"She's just a friend." Kiba replied sulkily, the continued before Naruto could further embarrass him, "but her name is Kaori Tokudan and I…"

"Oh! Kaori! I know her."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. We sell her products in the shop." Ino said, jumping up and running back across the street. The boys looked at each other in confusion, both shrugging at their ignorance.

"See." Ino waved a small glass bottle at them as she sat down. "She makes it. It's very popular."

"What is it?" Naruto asked, taking the container and opening the lid.

"Perfume!" Kiba and Ino said together as the strong scent of vanilla and jasmine spilled out. Kiba began swaying alarmingly, feeling light-headed and Naruto hurriedly closed the bottle while Ino attempted to dispel the aroma.

"Strong!" Kiba coughed, wiping his watering eyes and wheezing slightly.

"Yeah." Ino nodded, "You only use a little bit." She took the bottle off Naruto so he couldn't spill or break it. "But it's very popular. We made a good deal with her for it."

Kiba leaned against the bench and tilted his head back, taking in deep breaths, not really caring about the financial aspects of the perfume industry.

"I guess that explains why you can't track her." Naruto said, taking the seat next to Kiba. Ino looked at them oddly.

"Why are you trying to track her? Is she in trouble?"

"No. Well, not from us." Kiba replied. "She's been helping Hana in the clinic but she didn't come in today and Hana told us to find her."

"But we don't know where she lives because she lied about it last night and Kiba doesn't know anything else about her because he's just a dirty-minded j-AUGH!"

And whatever else Naruto was going to say was cut off when Kiba put him in a headlock. However, due to his short attention span, once Ino had loosened Kiba's grip, Naruto did not rejoin to the conversation, having been distracted by the growing number of insects hanging around.

"So, you don't know where she lives, you don't know what she does during the day, your nose is useless for finding her and you want her for what reason again?"

Kiba opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself from blurting out that she'd been cooking their meals for the past three days because Hana had tricked her. He found talking with Ino to be like walking through a minefield at the best of times, but one thing he knew for sure, telling her that they'd been taking advantage of Kaori was sure to make her angry. And if Ino was angry, she would, inevitably, tell Sakura, who would tell Tenten and Shizune and Kurenai and any other able-bodied kunoichi within earshot and then he'd be killed for something that was clearly Hana's fault.

Luckily for him, the growing awkward silence was disrupted by Naruto's innocent question of: "Ino, why are there lots of bugs around here?"

And Ino's reaction was nothing, if not suspicious.

"Oh, w-well, they're attracted to the flowers." She replied while blushing and playing with the perfume bottle nervously, before holding it up triumphantly. "And the perfume!"

Both boys eyed her sceptically while she pretended innocence, then Kiba took a closer look at the insects and understanding dawned.

"So, you and Shino, huh?"

"SHH!" Ino covered his mouth, glancing over her shoulder at the door of the shop. She sighed in relief to see her father was still busy with customers. Turning back to the boys, she scowled at their massive smirks.

"I'm going to get Shino for this!" She growled lowly, then she asked them, "What do you want?"

"Information about Kaori and her location," Kiba stated while Naruto chortled. Ino's eyes flashed, thinking she'd be the victor in this deal because she was going to help them anyway, until Kiba continued, "And you take her place if we can't find her."

She flinched back, a look of distaste on her face. "Doing what, exactly?"

Naruto fell off the bench, laughing, and Kiba chuckled.

"Look who's got the dirty mind now! It's nothing like that. Kaori has been cooking dinner for Hana and me…"

"And I." Ino corrected him.

"…and Hana doesn't want takeout if we can't find Kaori," Kiba continued, not heeding the correction, "So, you'll be cooking dinner tonight."

Ino's eyes lit up, "I can cook dinner. I'm really good at cooking."

Naruto sat up and stage-whispered to Kiba, "Why is she so happy about this arrangement?"

"Who knows? I can't figure out women." Kiba replied in kind.

"Because I CAN cook!" Ino stated happily as she pounced on Kiba. "You've tried Forehead's cooking, right?"

She laughed when Kiba pulled a face and Naruto went pale.

"Unlike her, I can actually cook. Real food, that tastes good."

"But you'll give us the information anyway, right? We don't want wrong information because you want to prove you're better than Sakura."

Ino nodded, "I promise to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." She smiled broadly. Then her smile took on a sharp edge, "But even if we find her, I want you to invite me for dinner. And Shino too."

"Why?" Asked Naruto, in confusion.

"Because I said so."

Kiba smirked, "Is the bug-man scared of your father?"

He dodged as Akamaru leapt over the bench, snapping at the cloud of insects that rushed at Kiba. Looking up from the seat, Kiba grinned, "I'll take that as a yes."

The cloud of insects hovered over him, buzzing menacingly. Ino pushed Kiba off the bench and waved her hand. At the signal, the insects dispersed, leaving a few to monitor the conversation.

"It isn't that. Daddy tends to over-react to my romantic involvements. I have no idea why." Ino replied, somewhat petulantly. The boys eyed her disbelievingly. "I swear, I had nothing to do with that Kankuro incident. If that's even his name. I wasn't there. And Kotetsu was with someone else when he got locked in that interrogation room with no clothes on."

"Sure, sure."

"I swear!" Ino protested.

"And you weren't responsible for all of Takashi's shirts disappearing from his locker at the hospital either?"

"I wasn't even in the village." Ino said shaking her head, "I was on a mission."

"Right."

"And Arai's problem….

"So, what did you want to know about Kaori?" Ino asked, cutting Naruto off and changing the topic.

"Well, do you know where she is?" Kiba asked hesitantly.

"Right now? No." Ino replied, leaning back and tilting her head up, thinking. A bug flew in front her face and she smiled. She turned back to her audience. "She might be at the hospital."

"Why?" Asked Naruto, as Kiba raced off towards the hospital, Akamaru running beside him.

"Sure is eager, isn't he?" Ino muttered, and as the two blondes watched, he disappeared down the street.

* * *

It was only when he reached the hospital that Kiba realized he had no idea why Kaori came to the hospital. He paused in the doorway, undecided about his next course of action, until Akamaru bumped into him and he fell over.

"Kiba? Are you alright?"

Kiba looked up to see Shizune walking toward him. Kneeling, he shot a glare at Akamaru, who gave a doggy shrug, before he stood up, dusting his pants off.

"I'm fine." He muttered as Shizune reached him, already starting to check him for signs of injury. He lightened his mood to avoid a check-up. "Really, Shizune, I'm not injured."

Shizune smiled and stepped back, "I'm sorry. Force of habit. Not many shinobi enter the hospital willingly, you know."

Kiba chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah?"

"Yes. So, if you don't need aid, what brings you to us today?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face, "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes!" Kiba said loudly. He then lowered his voice when the receptionist glared at him, "I mean, yes, I am looking for someone but I don't know if you know her. She isn't a kunoichi."

"Oh," Shizune looked confused for a moment, then she smiled once more, "well, we do heal the villagers as well, Kiba. Medical aid is not exclusive."

"Heh," Kiba felt out of place again, "Uh, well, her name is Kaori."

"Kaori?"

"Yeah, Ino said she might be here. I don't think she's hurt though."

"She might be visiting someone." Shizune thought for a moment.

"Her brother? She said he's a jounin." Kiba offered as Shizune led the way out of reception.

"I can check. Do you know his name?"

"Minoru? I think that's it." Behind him, Akamaru barked in agreement, before whining because he'd been shushed by a passing nurse.

"Do these mystery people have a last name?" Shizune said with a laugh. "That would help me find them."

"Oh, yeah. It's, um, Tokudan." Kiba replied, momentarily distracted by an odd contraption being used to help a patient in a room they were passing.

"Oh."

Kiba looked around to find Shizune regarding him with a solemn expression.

"What is it?"

"We have a patient with that last name, Kiba. But you can't see him."

"But I don't want, wait… what do you mean, I can't see him? Is he dying?"

Kiba turned away, running a hand through his hair when Shizune just looked at him. Filled with new resolve to find the girl, he turned back to Shizune.

"I have to find Kaori! Have you seen her?"

Shizune bit her lip. In truth, she didn't know who Kaori was; she had simply seen the name on a list and briefly checked on the patient.

"I'll ask for you. Just… just wait here. Ok?"

Kiba sank into a seat, leaning back and resting his head on the wall. This could be bad. Very bad. Akamaru sat next to him, his head resting in Kiba's lap; offering what comfort he could.

But both knew that the person who needed the comfort more was not there.

* * *

**I've posted a small one-shot explaining Inoichi's somewhat cryptic explanation. It's called A Historical Sidestory. Read it, because it's awesome.**


	11. Dinner and a Show

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"Hey there, boy. You look down."

Kiba looked up, surprised at being spoken to. The man in front of him appeared to be a patient, dressed in pyjamas, with a robe over the top. He was quite thin and looked tired. And there was something familiar about him.

Kiba sighed and looked back at the floor. "Yeah, you could say that."

Thinking he would be left alone, he was surprised further when the man took the seat next to him.

"You're Tsume's boy, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Kiba replied nervously, before realising that there were several visible cues that gave that information away.

"Yeah, you look like her." The man smiled, turning to look out the window. "Amazed to find you here, though. Tsume never did like to be stuck indoors. Especially in this building." He glanced around the hallway, his gaze landing on Kiba's suspicious face.

"You know my mother?"

"Knew her when she and I were both younger." The man laughed at Kiba's expression. "Don't worry; I'm not an old boyfriend."

Akamaru barked, grinning up at Kiba as he sighed in relief.

"Glad of that." He grinned, "How do you know her?"

"From the academy. She never mentions me?"

Kiba shook his head and the man's face fell in mock hurt, before he grinned.

"Ah, I'd be devastated if I didn't know her like I do."

Kiba laughed with him.

"So, what brings you in here today?" He asked as he scratched Akamaru's ears.

"I'm looking for a… a friend of mine."

"Well, you won't find them sitting on your bum, boy!"

Kiba grinned, but his mirth dissipated slightly when the older man continued.

"Didn't know you could hide from the Inuzuka nose."

"She's doing a good job of it." Kiba grumbled.

"Oh, so it's a girl then, is it?" The man laughed again as Kiba shot him a sullen glare. "Must be that time of the year. So, how is this _girl _hiding from you?"

"I don't know." Kiba admitted, "I just can't lock onto her scent. It's everywhere. The perfume's probably not helping much."

"Perfume?" The man asked, shooting a sharp glance at him.

"Yeah," Kiba looked along the hallway, suddenly feeling anxious, "Apparently she makes it."

"Is that right?" The man was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, one hand cupping his chin as he looked over Kiba with a considering eye. "Confuses the senses, does it?"

"Yeah, as if it wasn't bad enough with all the other ladies wearing it. Walking through the markets is torture sometimes." He snorted as another thought hit him, "Maybe that's why Kakashi wears a mask!"

"Hmm, perhaps."

A silence grew between them, stretching until the older man shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

"Why are you here?"

Kiba looked up in confusion; hadn't he just explained himself?

"In the hospital, I mean."

"Oh. Well, I was told she comes here to visit someone, so I thought maybe I'd catch her."

"What does your nose tell you?"

"I don't know!" Kiba huffed, "I can't smell flowers in here!"

"Flowers don't grow in the hospital, boy! You're looking in the wrong place."

"Well, where should I be looking?"

Before he could answer, another voice had cut over the conversation.

"Mr Kurosaki? What are you doing out of bed?"

"Sakura, my dear. I was just stretching my legs, when I stopped to chat with this young man, here." He stood up and offered his arm to Sakura. She smiled as she firmly set his hand on her arm and began leading him away.

"Shizune is frantic looking for you, Mr Kurosaki. She was so worried when she came in and found you missing again."

Kiba bolted straight out of his chair and hurried after them, "Wait! Shizune is looking for him? Do you know Kaori? Has she… Does she come see you?"

"Kaori?" Sakura asked in confusion, looking from her patient to Kiba and back again.

"You know Kaori, Sakura." Mr Kurosaki said.

"Yes, but… oh, wait! Is this about that dog the other day?"

"Dog?" Kiba asked at the same time as Akamaru barked. Mr Kurosaki jumped slightly, startled, and began coughing. He leaned heavily on Sakura's arm as the wet hacking cough racked his thin frame. Sakura quickly grabbed a towel from a passing trolley and handed it to her patient as she yelled for a wheel-chair.

The last Kiba saw of them was an apologetic glance shot over Sakura's shoulder as she hurried the man away. Shortly afterwards, Kiba was asked to leave the hospital and he did so, disconsolately.

* * *

He walked aimlessly through town, deep in thought and unconsciously following different scents, changing directions at random. He provided a small measure of entertainment when inspiration struck right outside Ichiraku's, where Naruto was eating his dinner.

At Kiba's shout, Naruto had spun round, ramen hanging from his mouth, only to see the other boy race off. He would have followed, bowl in hand, had he not been sternly reprimanded by Ayame for removing restaurant property.

Kiba burst into the veterinary clinic and called loudly for his sister. Her hound receptionist, Kaihaku, announced him and they were shortly joined by Gurei just as Hana called down hall.

Brushing passed the two dogs, Kiba entered the surgery to find his sister examining some test results.

"We can use Moriko!"

"What?" Hana frowned, irritated at the interruption and not entirely sure what her brother meant.

"We can use Moriko to find Kaori! I'm sure the little bitch can scent her."

"No." Hana replied shortly, turning back to her work.

"Why not?"

"If you let her," Hana tilted her head toward the white dog being guarded by her third canine partner, "outside, you will either lose her or she will damage that leg. Or both."

She glanced over at Kiba who was frowning.

"What if I carry her?"

Hana shook her head in disbelief, halting her work to stare at him.

"She's quite heavy, Kiba. And you haven't carried Akamaru around in years."

"I'm stronger than back then." He shot back belligerently.

Hana smiled wryly, "That's true, but it's different to doing your normal exercises or going a mission; carrying a weight like that."

"I'm sure I can handle it." Kiba waved off her concern and walked over to the dog bed.

At Hana's nod, her dog stood up and moved away, allowing Kiba to kneel next to Moriko.

"How about it, Moriko? You wanna go find Kaori?"

Moriko barked happily, almost leaping from the bed. Kiba caught her, preventing the enthusiastic dog from licking his face. There was a noise behind him and he turned to see a look of disapproval on his sister's face.

"What?"

"You want to go out with her now?" She pointed at the window. "Kiba, it's almost sundown!"

Kiba glanced down at the dog in his arms, then back at his sister. He grinned.

"Well, you wanted dinner." He pointed out to her, smugly.

She looked at him sceptically.

"I'm sure between the two of us, we'll find her in no time." He continued.

"Very well." Hana huffed, still unconvinced, "But make sure she doesn't hurt that leg, or I'll have you…"

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba waved off the threat, "I'll make sure. It's all good." Before she could say anything else, Kiba had scooped up Moriko and left the room.

As she heard the front door close, Hana shrugged and returned to her work. If he was occupied, Kiba wouldn't be able to stop her from going out tonight.

* * *

Two hours later, it was dark, and Kiba was weary, dirty, annoyed and frustrated.

"I can't belive it." He grumbled, hoisting Moriko into a more comfortable position. The movement caused the dog to yelp and Akamaru growled.

"I was relying on your help and you've been turning us in circles."

Moriko whimpered as Kiba glared down at her, but there was an unrepentant glint in her eye when he turned away.

They were currently trudging down the street in the main market district. People were finishing their shopping and closing up the stalls for the day, as the trio made their way through the crowd.

They'd started out from the hospital and Kiba had let Moriko choose the direction. From there, they'd thoroughly explored the clan estates, the market (though skirting the Yamanaka Flower shop) and the training grounds. They'd even ventured out the east gate.

"I know what you're doing. You've been lying to me from the start." Kiba growled, "I don't know why, but it's bloody obvious."

Moriko barked in indignation, only to stop abruptly when Akamaru growled once again.

"Don't think you've gotten away with it!" Kiba warned as they left the market behind. "We'll be out at dawn tomorrow, and…"

"Kiba! Kiba?"

Kiba turned round to see Ino racing up behind him.

"Kiba! Wait up!"

"What do you want?" He asked gruffly, as she came up alongside him. He was completely forgetting about the deal they'd made earlier.

She hadn't and promptly whacked him on the arm. "Don't be rude! I'm cooking you dinner, remember?"

"How do you know I haven't found Kaori?"

Ino shot him an amused glance as she began dragging him back down the street. "Because you look like your birthday's been cancelled." She laughed as she hauled him into a shop were Shino was gathering up bags of groceries.

"What's all this for?"

"Can you make dinner without ingredients? No, you cannot."

Kiba glared venomously at his team mate, as Ino continued.

"We figured there'd be very little food in your house, knowing your appetite and all."

"Yeah, well…." Kiba mumbled, slightly embarrassed and determined to be belligerent, "Have fun with that."

He turned to leave the store, dogs in tow, when Ino grabbed his ear.

"Kiba Inuzuka! You will _not_ walk away from me without my permission!"

"LETTGO!" Kiba yelped, twisting painfully, both hands trying to keep hold of Moriko who was choosing this moment to try and free herself. Akamaru watched helplessly, unsure if he could help (as opposed to when Kiba was fighting Naruto and he just refused to help) while Shino hid his satisfied smirk behind the collar of his jacket.

Yanking valiantly on his ear, Ino forced Kiba into a shelf and growled up at him, "You are going to be polite! You are going to help Shino carry the groceries! And you are going to stop being a whiny little boy! Understand?"

"I'm going to help Shino?" Kiba barked, "How? I've already got my arms full!"

Without another word, Ino released his ear and took Moriko from his arms. Holding the dog in a way very reminiscent of Kaori, which is to say not very comfortably, Ino then turned and sashayed out of the store. Akamaru was the first to follow her, with Kiba grudgingly accepting a few bags and Shino brining up the rear, still smirking.

* * *

Tsume had been downstairs for ten minutes when the group arrived. She watched, with growing amusement, as Ino entered and placed the suddenly timid Moriko on the floor, leaving Akamaru to guard her. Ino had then held open the door as Kiba and Shino had marched in, arms laden down with bags of food.

"Hello, Tsume." Ino greeted her as she directed the boys into the kitchen.

"Ino."

"Dinner should be ready soon." Ino chirped back as she began unloading the bags. She then, trapped Kiba, roping him into preparing the meat, while Shino shopped up vegetables.

Dinner didn't take too long and Kiba sat through it, sulking mostly, while Ino made googly eyes at Shino. It was entirely possible that Shino was returning them, but with those glasses on, who could tell. All in all, Tsume was the only one who noticed that Hana was not there.

* * *

Hana was sitting at a table, in a bar, sighing with frustration. It wasn't a seedy bar; it was actually quite pleasant. The room was spacious and the atmosphere was light, but the company was dismal.

Seems Satoshi had used up all of his charm and charisma the previous evening. Either that, or Hana's judgement had been impaired by alcohol.

And she thought she hadn't been drinking that much.

The end result was, that this date was not worth the hassle of sneaking out past Kiba.

She raised her glass, gulping down her wine and almost praying that Kiba would come charging in to interrupt them again.

"And I told him, there isn't a single reason why there should be allowances like that! Shinobi are shinobi. They shouldn't be allowed to take civilian jobs."

Hana almost choked on her wine and he grabbed a serviette for her.

"You alright?"

Hana nodded, clearing her throat before answering, "I think I misheard you."

Satoshi sat back in his chair, "Well, I think it stands to reason. Shinobi have regular pay for the defence of the village. Why should a civilian miss out on work so that they can line their pockets?"

Hana narrowed her eyes at him. Just her luck to come across a bitter civilian. He probably didn't even realise she was a kunoichi. She was just about to announce that fact when a third person joined them.

"Hello Hana."

She looked up and smiled warmly.

"Aoba! I heard you were back."

The tall jounin nodded a greeting to Satoshi, who was glaring at him.

"Nice to meet you." Aoba extended his hand, though the seated man ignored the gesture, "I'm Aoba Yamashiro."

"I know who you are." Satoshi replied curtly, "Now, if you don't mind leaving. You're intruding on our date." He placed extra emphasis on the last word, hoping the other man would take a hint.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Aoba apologized pleasantly, though with that tone, it was difficult to tell if he was sincere. "I just thought I'd come say hello to Hana, seeing as I've been out of town for a few days and haven't seen her, and maybe save your life."

"What?" Satoshi exclaimed.

"Well, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," Aoba continued, "And I thought I'd step in for your own protection. After all it is our duty as shinobi to prevent unnecessary bloodshed."

He cast a meaningful glance over at Hana, who was trying to hide her mirth in her drink.

"What are you talking about?" Satoshi demanded angrily. He knew he was missing something. It was an empty anger, though. Even slightly inebriated, he had sense enough to not pick a fight with a shinobi.

Hana was struggling to contain herself. She swallowed her mouthful and calmed herself, slightly.

"I wouldn't have killed him, Aoba." She smiled innocently, "Lady Tsunade would put me back to D-rank missions for that."

Satoshi swung round to look at her. "I thought you were a vet." He stated uneasily.

"I _am_ a vet." Hana replied, with Aoba adding, "And a very pretty kunoichi."

Hana rolled her eyes at him.

"Sorry, I should say skilled, shouldn't I?"

Satoshi looked between them, frowning at the revelation. Hana caught sight of his face and turned back to him.

"Look, I'm sorry if you feel you were misled, but what did you expect? This is one of the great shinobi villages."

"I was misled." He said quietly, "You could have told me."

"I'm rather surprised you hadn't figured it out." Hana said airily, before asking Aoba, "Wouldn't you say the Inuzuka clan is well known?"

"Well, yes." Aoba replied, "Among ninja circles. It is possible that some civilians may not have encountered you before."

Hana snorted derisively.

"Now you're making fun of me." Satoshi snapped, "Fine."

He stood up, towering over Hana who remained unruffled and seated, "Enjoy your evening, Hana. I'll not trouble you again."

He threw down enough money to cover his drinks and stormed from the table. Hana watched him leave and sighed, thinking it probably could have ended better.

"Do you mind?" Aoba asked quietly, gesturing to the now vacant chair.

Hana shook her head, smiling. She waited until he'd settled himself then asked, "Tell me, why did you request a mission with my mother?"

"Ah, that…" He started nervously, "I'll just get us some drinks then, shall I?"

"In such a hurry to leave?" She laughed.

Aoba smiled back, somewhat flustered, lowering himself back into his seat.

"Heh, ah… How did you know? That I requested the mission, I mean."

Hana tapped her nose, grinning mischievously. Aoba fidgeted, shifting on the seat.

"Kuromaru enjoyed being petted." Hana continued.

"Ah." Realisation came as Aoba remembered just how affectionate the old dog was, after the initial scare-the-new-guy routine.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Hana asked, leaning toward him. His fingers fluttered on the table top, tapping a staccato beat, but she resisted the urge to quiet them.

"Straight to the point then?"

She nodded.

He gulped, glancing away from her, only for his gaze to swing back quickly; his fingers' rhythm increasing in tempo. His mouth worked soundlessly and Hana, who had been watching him intently, placed a hand over his fingers, encouragingly.

"It was," He swallowed, "an introduction."

Her eyebrow rose in question.

"Of sorts." He finished weakly.

She sat back in her chair, withdrawing her hand and moving it to her face as she considered him.

"Did you really think that my mother would not know who you are?"

"I imagine she does." He replied, "But I hadn't met her personally."

"And how did it go, your personal meeting?"

"Not how I would have liked." Aoba muttered before replying louder, "Awkwardly."

Hana laughed exuberantly, as a slight blush spread across his cheeks.

"You know why."

She nodded. She'd heard the whole tale from Kuromaru, and for an old dog, he sure was a big gossip. Her own observations had merely confirmed the theory. She leaned forward, propping her chin on her interlaced fingers and taking in his scent from across the table.

He moved his chair in closer to the table, copying her pose. "So, you won't make me explain?"

She cocked her head to the side, smiling as she nodded.

He groaned and she laughed. "You want confirmation?"

"I want to hear you say it."

He smiled a little, watching her face; the way her eyes sparkled in the low light, the way her lengthened canines poked out when she smiled, the way her nostrils flared slightly as she read his every emotion through his scent.

"That's slightly unnerving."

Her smile disappeared and he hastily continued, "In a good way!"

She was unimpressed.

"I'm sorry. I do like you and…" He stopped when she turned away from him, her hands coming up to hide her face from view.

"Hana? I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not used to having my emotions so easily read, er smelt, er you know…"

She moved away from him as he scooted his chair closer. He leaned over to her, careful not to touch her just yet.

"Hana? Please, don't be offended. I love your nose!"

She shot him an incredulous look, just for a moment, before turning away and silently ordering another round of drinks from a waitress who had been observing the situation.

"I do!" He insisted, "It completes your face."

Before he could register just how obtuse his last comment was, the waitress plunked down his drink with a look of severe disapproval and walked away shaking her head. Hana was red faced and shaking now, trying to contain her mirth at his blunder.

True, his comment was a little insensitive, but Aoba was known for speaking what was foremost in his mind, and she _had_ been baiting him. His scent was telling her everything his mouth was stumbling over.

He was nervous because he was attracted to her; a fact that would have made his last mission quite uncomfortable seeing as Tsume would have noticed. He was currently aware that he may have insulted her by blurting out the first thing that came into his head, but was struggling to figure out how to redeem himself.

For all his skills as a shinobi, he lacked the ability to hold conversations without making a fool of himself.

Hana understood all of this, but the humour of the situation was testing her self-control.

"Hana?" He asked quietly, "You aren't mad, are you?"

She couldn't help it, she burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Aoba." She gasped, "No, I'm not mad."

"Oh, good." Aoba sat back, relaxing.

She hit him lightly on the head.

"That was a very stupid thing to say, though. You're lucky I'm such an understanding person."

"Indeed." He smiled back at her, thankful that the issue had passed with very little pain for him. She smiled warmly, lifting her drink to him before sipping it.

He was content to just sit there and watch her, but watching him had raised a question in her mind.

"Aoba, why do you dress like that?" She asked, placing her wine glass on the table and turning her full attention on him. "You're like a very bad imitation of Ebisu, or Kakashi."

"Or both." He muttered, her words dredging up some of the comments from his so-called friends over the years. "Ah, well…"

He drank some of his drink, hoping that perhaps, she'd leave it alone or make another surprisingly turn in the conversation. The rapt, attentive look on her face stated otherwise.

"I'm, ah, sensitive to light." He offered, "And you're so pretty, I'd be blind without them."

She laughed at his attempt at flattery, though she knew it was, in part, an attempt at distraction.

"You're blushing." He said softly.

"No, I'm not." She stated, "Now, stop distracting me. What about this?" She flicked the Leaf symbol on his headband.

He mumbled something quickly and gulped down another mouthful of his drink.

"What was that?" She asked, but he couldn't answer because the sudden consumption of alcohol was making him cough. He sat back in his chair, quietly dying as the alcohol burned his throat and made his eyes water, while Hana panicked, jumping up from the table to procure something less likely to cause inflammation of the oesophagus.

"Are you alright, Aoba?" She asked as she handed him a glass of water. He took it with silent thanks, swallowing it slowly to ease the residual burn. She rubbed his back, still hovering over him, and he was sure that not all of the warm, fuzzy feeling was due to the alcohol.

"Better." He rasped, before sipping a bit more water. "I feeling better, thanks."

"Good. Now answer the question!"

"But I answered your question." He smirked at her.

"You mumbled!" She protested, though she was smiling at him.

"I said," and the rest was drowned out by the general noise of the bar.

"Aoba! You're just making me more curious!" Hana whined, as he sipped his drink carefully. "If you don't answer, I'll just take it off."

Aoba was suddenly coughing again, and Hana laughed lightly, knowing that he'd heard what he wanted to hear.

"Please, Hana, we're in public." He managed to rasp after drinking some more water.

"Come on, Aoba. You can tell me. I won't laugh."

"You're already laughing." He pointed out, watching her before attempting to sip his drink once more. He could feel his resolve weakening at the look on her face, one she undoubtedly learned from her hounds. Yes, it was the dreaded puppy-dog look.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Please don't look at me like that." He said, shifting in his seat so he wasn't looking at her. His mistake.

"How would you like me to look at you?" She whispered in his ear, and it took all of his self-control not to turn and meet her lips then and there.

"You could always whisper it to me." She said softly.

"Whisper what?" He answered, in the same tone.

"Your hair."

"What about it?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"There's nothing wrong with it." He said calmly, and raised his glass to her with a smirk.

"Cheat." She smiled as she sat back in her chair and sipped her wine.

"I can tell you aced your kunoichi training." He replied with a smile. "Alright, I'll tell you."

"Really?"

He nodded, beckoning for her to lean forward. She shivered, a little, as she felt his hot breath on her ear.

"I have a…" He began. He finished the sentence by pressing a series of kisses to her neck.

"Aoba! Stop trying to distract me!" She said, breathily, as he moved closer to her, trailing the kisses down her throat.

"It's not… It's not working." She insisted, and he stopped and sat back. "I can tell you've never been to kunoichi classes."

"True, true. But I have some experience in the field."

"I like a man with experience." Hana teased.

"How about we finish this conversation somewhere, a little more private?" Aoba asked with a smile.

"How dare you, sir! I am a lady!" Hana stated in mock outrage and affront.

"Forgive me, my lady." Aoba said as he stood and offered his arm to her. "If I may escort you home?"

"You may," Hana smiled coyly, as she accepted his arm, standing as well. "but I will have your secret, my good sir."

"Then I will share my secret with you," Aoba fished out some money and left it on the table for the waitress, "if you go to dinner with me tomorrow night."

"An interesting proposition," Hana answered as they left the bar and headed out into the street. "Though I feel it may not be to my advantage."

"Trust me, my dear. With this deal, we will both win."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

They arrived at the Inuzuka residence fifteen minutes later, just as Ino and Shino were leaving. Hana's three dogs were the first to detect their arrival and their exuberance caused Kiba to notice them. Already grumpy from his wasted efforts during the day, exasperated from extended exposure to Ino's company and annoyed because Tsume had prevented him from ejecting the sassy blonde and his team mate, Kiba was not pleasantly surprised.

He was not stupid enough to voice his outrage in front of his mother, but that didn't stop him from gruffly leaving the entryway to sulk in his room. The sight of him reminded Hana of his problem and she realised that the person beside her may actually be able to help them.

"Aoba, do you know a jounin by the name of Tokudan?"

"Minoru Tokudan?" He asked in surprise, "Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

"Do you know him personally?"

"As much as I want to. Why?"

"I want to talk to him. It's about his sister. She's been helping me out at the clinic the past few days, but today she didn't turn up."

"Oh. Well, I'll have a look for him tomorrow, if you'd like."

"Thank you."

She kissed his cheek, and he blushed, making her laugh. He nodded to Tsume and quickly left. Hana watched him leave, a happy smile on her face, even as her dogs tugged her towards the house. Turning, she found herself facing her mother.

"Took him long enough." Tsume said gruffly.

"You only returned today, mother." Hana replied wryly.

"'I've liked your daughter for a while', wasn't that what he said, Kuromaru?" Tsume smirked. Kuromaru gave a doggy grin as an affirmative, and Hana blushed.

"I've told you before; you shouldn't be so gruff all the time." Hana retorted in embarrassment. "But since he meets your approval, you won't mind my meeting him for dinner."

"Not at all."

Hana nodded and headed upstairs. Tsume turned the lights off and closed up the house before following her daughter.

"I'm very happy for you."


	12. Shifting Waypoint

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Kiba woke up early the next morning, determined to achieve his goal. He stalked through the house, sending Moriko a severe glare as he passed through the dining room toward the kitchen. He was quite disappointed that Kaori still hadn't returned. Although he hadn't been seriously expecting it, her presence would have been a nice surprise.

While he prepared breakfast, he could hear Moriko grumbling, an ongoing litany of complaints and whines, all of which were aimed at him. He had to laugh, even if only a humorless chuckle, when Akamaru joined her monologue with grouchy comments about the other dog's lack of co-operation.

After a quick and quietly terse breakfast, the grumpy trio left the house to continue their quest.

* * *

The door creaked open behind her and Kaori stilled, head bowed.

"Kaori?"

She kept her back turned because she couldn't look at him, not after what he had done.

"Kaori, I'm sorry."

"That was unfair." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. He walked up behind her but stopped before he touched her.

"I know. I lost my temper. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

He reached for her hesitantly, and touched her shoulder gently, turning her without resistance and enveloping her in a tight hug. Tears ran down her face as the stress of the last thirty-six hours spilled over.

She recovered rather more quickly that he had expected and he was surprised when she pulled back, brushing away her tears to give him a watery smile.

"We should visit Father today." He said simply, covering his mild surprise.

She nodded, "And I have a delivery to make."

She turned and gestured to the box of perfume bottles on her workbench, filled, sealed and ready to go. She missed his grimace of distaste in her movement.

"Alright. We'll go there on the way." He managed to say.

"And I'm sure Ino will have nice flowers for Father's room."

"Maybe she'll trade." Minoru murmured as he left his sister to prepare for the day.

* * *

"You are a waste of space!" Kiba growled, ignoring Moriko's surprised yelp as he dropped her on the ground. He collapsed against the wall and slid down until he was sitting next to her. "Why are you being so unhelpful? It's almost like you don't want to find her!"

Moriko turned her head away, breaking off her glare at Kiba to grumble about his treatment of her. Akamaru stood over the two of them as they sulked.

"We've been at this for hours and we still haven't found her! I'm going to lose my reputation." Kiba groaned, "All of my hard work going down the drain because you won't co-operate."

Akamaru barked, jolting Kiba against the wall.

"That's true." He mused, "The only time you were eager was back…"

He jumped up and hauled Moriko into his arms, heading back the way they'd come. They were in a residential area, where the houses were fairly new and modern, with small yards.

They walked down one street and Moriko yapped in agitation at a T junction. Kiba grinned as he turned right, in to the new street.

Moriko began struggling in his arms but Kiba was leading with his nose. He put Moriko down as the smell of perfume grew stronger. She barked after him in a panic but he ignored her, coming to a stop in front of a small, white, two-storey house.

"Ah, here it is."

* * *

Hana answered the door to find Hinata and Naruto waiting.

"Morning guys. What brings you here so early?"

"We're looking for Kiba." Naruto announced.

"Good morning, Hana." Hinata started but Naruto interrupted.

"It's just Hana, Hinata. Why are you being so formal?"

"Naruto." She shushed him, "I told you I wanted to do this properly. It's official clan business."

"But it's just us." Naruto whispered as he leaned over her, "No-one else is watching."

Hinata's face was growing steadily redder as his proximity increased, "N-Naruto, I know that…"

He interrupted her again with a kiss.

Hana watched them go at it with thinly veiled disgust. Gurei stepped up beside her with a bucket of water and she threw it over them.

"And that's what we do to dogs in heat." She stated matter-of-factly as they gasped and spluttered. Naruto glared at her sulkily while Hinata floundered in her wet clothes.

"Well, you'd better come in and dry off." Hana relented, stepping aside so they could enter and then leaving to fetch some towels.

Naruto was down to his shorts in an instant and leisurely watched as Hinata peeled off her jacket. She caught him watching with a satisfied grin and turned away blushing. Hana re-entered with the towels, using one to flick Naruto sharply.

"Hey!" He yelped, distracted as Hinata slipped off her shirt and quickly wrapped a towel around herself.

He turned back to Hinata with a look of disappointment only to notice she was shivering a little.

"Sweetheart, you look cold." He purred, holding out his arms for her. Before Hinata could do more than blush, Hana hit him on the head.

"Restrain yourself, moron." She growled, pushing him onto the lounge and dumping a towel in his lap. She took their clothes and left for the laundry, muttering about teenagers and hormones, only to find them sitting entwined together when she returned. At her entrance, Naruto's hands dropped to less erogenous areas.

"She's cold." He stated defiantly.

Hana shook her head and sat down opposite them,. "So, you're looking for Kiba? On official clan business?"

They nodded and Hinata spoke up, "I've been sent to find Kaori's brother, Minoru. It's very important."

Hana's eyes narrowed, "What do the Hyugas want with a clan-less man?"

Naruto shrugged and Hinata stayed tight-lipped, "I really need to talk to him first."

_It must be very important_. Hana thought.

"Well I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. Kiba left early this morning. I have no idea where he is. He's still looking for Kaori."

Naruto started to laugh but Hinata looked serious and he swallowed it.

"He hasn't found her yet?"

Hana shook her head, "Would you like a hand looking for him?"

* * *

Tsume stood outside the hospital, staring at it in distaste.

"Tsume, you're growling." Kuromaru said as he nudged her leg.

She was indeed growling. She stopped abruptly. "This is not going to be easy."

Kuromaru shook himself, loosening his muscles in preparation. "But it must be done."

"This is an open invitation to disaster." She laughed harshly, "What makes you so sure of a favourable outcome?"

Kuromaru shrugged, "You know dogs, I know humans."

She grunted in agreement, "Of course. I rely on your confidence, old friend. Let's go."

A frontal approach would have been counter productive. They would have been stopped long before reaching their destination; dogs weren't really allowed past the first floor.

But Tsume didn't go anywhere these days without Kuromaru, so they had to go in by stealth.

After a bit of a struggle, they found the room they were after and limped in.

The patient was waiting for them.

* * *

Ikke Tokudan was not well. He was, in fact, in the final stages of a lethal wasting disease. He lay on the cot, his body nothing more than a thin frame under the blankets.

"Tsume Inuzuka. I knew you'd come eventually." He rasped, his voice weak like his body. "Kurosaki saw your boy here yesterday."

Tsume nodded, her face grim.

"I suppose I should thank you, for taking in my daughter."

She waved it off with a sigh. This was more difficult than she had expected.

"It was inevitable, though."

"You shouldn't have kept it a secret." Kuromaru said gruffly.

Ikke's hand wavered, a pale imitation of Tsume, "Another regret at this time of life. It means nothing. They're young. They'll live."

"You should have told them." Tsume stated with a low growl. "Do you realize what has happened because of your pride?"

He stared at her, his eyes watering from the intense emotions he was struggling to hold back.

Her fierce glare faded, "Your boy will struggle with it."

A desperate look overcame his face, "Help him, Tsume. He respects you. He needs your help."

She frowned even as she nodded, grudgingly agreeing to his request.

"You know what has to be done?"

"I'll retrieve the scroll." Tsume told him, then she sighed, "I always have to clean up your messes."

Ikke cracked a smile and Tsume managed a smug smirk, as the door behind her opened.

"Happy reunions today." The newcomer announced.

Tsume gritted her teeth, turning with a sharp look, "Kurosaki."

"Tsume, you're always so happy to see me." Kurosaki greeted her with a tense cheerfulness.

"You spoke to my son." She growled.

"Oh relax. He doesn't know. Nobody knows." He glanced over at the bed, "Aren't we a fine trio. All these secrets from our families and friends."

Kuromaru cleared his throat.

"Yes, I suppose you hounds never keep secrets, do you?"

"Our lives are simple." Kuromaru replied, "You humans tend to overcomplicate things."

"Emotions are tricky." Ikke agreed, as Kurosaki began coughing. "But the approach of death has a way of clearing the mind."

The three shinobi shared a look, of agreement, of trust and of resignation.

* * *

Kiba walked all around the house. No one was home, but something told him he'd found the right place; that this was where Kaori really lived.

"Why all the mystery?" He wondered out loud as he sat on the front step. Akamaru walked up, guiding Moriko's awkward gait, and dropped down next to Kiba, his large head filling Kiba's lap.

Kiba scratched between his ears as he stared into space. "We could stay here and wait for her." He mused.

Akamaru eyed him and mumbled. Moriko stayed silent.

"She has to come home at some point."

Akamaru mumbled again, glancing over at Moriko in question.

"Kiba."

Kiba looked up. Shino stood in front of him, his expectant gaze hidden behind his glasses.

"Ino asked me to find you. Why? Because Kaori is in her shop."

Kiba raced passed him with Akamaru hot on his heels. They disappeared down the street in a miniature cloud of dust.

Shino looked down at the white dog Kiba had left behind. He sighed, kneeling down and scooping her up. Then he began the trek back into town. Moriko didn't complain; he was the only one who had carried her without jostling her leg.

* * *

Minoru and Kaori walked in a sullen silence towards the hospital. He refused to look at her, holding his head high and staring straight ahead, while she pretended to be fascinated by the bouquet Ino had given her.

She muttered into the flowers and Minoru glared ahead.

"If you have something to say, say it." He said sharply.

"You were rude to her." Kaori replied quietly but with a hint of anger. "She's my friend and you were rude."

"I told the truth. I also told you not to be friends with her."

Kaori took a deep breath, held it, then released and looked away. "Why can't I be friends with her?"

"Because she's a gossipy busybody." Minoru snapped, adding mentally, _and she's from a clan._ "Now come on. Father's waiting."

He walked a little quicker and Kaori was forced to jog to keep up.

They entered the hospital, returning to their sullen silence as they traversed the hallways to their father's room.

They rounded a corner and Minoru stopped in shock and sudden panic. Tsume Inuzuka stood ahead of them. She glanced over at him, a look of disdain on her face, but he wasn't sure whether she had reserved it for him or for the person she was talking to.

Minoru side-stepped, hiding Kaori from view; his tenseness translating into a firm command to stay still which she followed. Up ahead, Tsume stalked away, Kuromaru following after her. The man she'd been talking to, Kurosaki, watched her go then ambled off to his room, coughing wretchedly.

With the obstacle cleared, Minoru led his sister down the hall and into their father's room. Any confusion she might have felt was forgotten when she saw her father's face light up at the sight of them.

"Father, I brought you new flowers."

"Wonderful." He said, reaching for her as she stepped up to the bed. She leaned into his embrace, fighting the onset of tears as he held her as close as he could. She stood back as he released her, sniffling as Minoru shook his father's hand; stand-offish as usual.

"My wonderful children. What has been happening in the outside world?"

Kaori smiled sadly and turned away, as Minoru began to talk about his latest mission. She disposed of the old flowers and arranged the new ones before taking a seat next to the bed, keeping her eyes on her hands.

Minoru finished his tale and a tense silence followed. Ikke glanced over at his daughter with an expectant look.

"How are the Inuzukas today?" He asked.

Kaori's head drooped, and a tear splashed onto her hand. Minoru looked away.

"What is it? What has happened?" He asked, looking between the two of them.

Kaori shook her head and another tear fell. Minoru grunted.

"Kaori? Sweetheart? Tell me."

"I don't know, Father." She whispered, unable to speak louder because of the sobs building in her throat. "I didn't see them."

Ikke's eyes narrowed as he swung round to glare at his son.

"So it's true."

"What is true, Father?" Minoru asked calmly.

"I know you're bitter, but I never thought you would take it out on your sister." Ikke fumed, "Explain yourself, boy, and you had better be able to justify your behaviour."

* * *

Ino was trying to drag Kiba across the road to the bench. He had raced into the shop with little foresight and unfortunately had reacted as he always did. The shop was already in disarray and now Ino had his prostrate body lying in the doorway.

She could understand his rushing in, she could understand his fainting, she could even understand why he hadn't come to yet; but that didn't make it any easier to move him by herself.

"What I wouldn't give for Sakura's strength right about now." She griped, yanking on Kiba's arm as Akamaru circled them both, yelping helplessly.

She straightened, stretching her muscles a little to loosen them, which caused her to see inside the shop and she winced.

The last customer, before Kiba's entrance and flailing in the doorway, had brought in twin five year old boys. They'd been bored just standing with their father as he discussed the bouquet he was after and their ensuing game of tag had upturned and/or smashed most of the displays. Water and flowers were strewn all over the floor, mixed in with the occasional bucket, vase and porcelain shards.

Her father had helped the man take his twins away, harassing him with parental tips as the new father apologized repeatedly. His 'sorrys' were interspersed with his deepest gratitude for the bouquets for his wife on the birth of their daughter.

It was only because of his weaknesses for daughters that Inoichi hadn't charged the man for the damage the boys had caused.

His absence left Ino in a quandary though. Their displays were ruined, their stock was wilting on the floor and Kiba had run into the middle of it.

She leaned down and pulled on his arms again and two more sets of hands joined hers. She looked up to find Hinata and a slightly woozy Hana helping out as Naruto's raucous laughter echoed down the street.

"Trust my brother to make a fool of himself." Hana muttered before directing her hounds and Akamaru down the street to make Naruto shut up. Hinata silently agreed, trying to wake Kiba up as they set him against the bench.

He came to suddenly, and looked around in confusion. "What happened? Where am I?"

"Outside Ino's shop." Hana replied, as she sat down heavily on the bench, the smell proving too much, even from across the street. "Why did you rush in like that?"

"Kaori!" Kiba exclaimed, standing up and swaying before being pushed down onto the bench. "Is she still here?"

Ino shook her head, "She left awhile ago, I'm sorry. They were heading to the hospital."

"They? Was her brother with her?" Hinata asked.

"Yes." Ino growled, her eyes narrowing, "And he was so rude! I wanted to slap him for what he said. I should have slapped him!"

Hinata paled while Hana looked quizzical. Kiba was ignoring the conversation, trying to recover his balance so he could go to the hospital and find Kaori.

Just then, Naruto limped up, the four dogs trailing behind him, looking smug.

"That was a dirty trick." He grumbled.

Kiba recognized the signs of a dog pile but his sympathy fled when Hana said, "Well, you should have helped us instead of laughing at Kiba."

Kiba turned to Akamaru, "Good work, buddy."

* * *

Kaori was extremely uncomfortable. Minoru was walking stiffly beside her, anger pulsing through him with every step.

"This is your fault." He growled, not looking at her even as she gasped.

"How is it…"

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from them?" He snarled, turning on her, "Didn't I say not to make friends with the _clans_."

She flinched as he spat the last word. Then he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down an alley, away from the main street.

"I told you!" He hissed, "Don't look at them, don't talk to them; not unless you absolutely have to!"

"Minoru!" She struggled against his grip and he paused. He let her go and rubbed her arm where he'd held it.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't look up, brushing away his fingers to rub the area herself. "Why can't I talk to them?"

"They're from the clans." He said, as if that was reason enough. It had been all she'd ever needed to know before.

"But they're my friends." Her response was soft and she looked up at him in tearful confusion.

"They make you think that. They make you think that they like you. Like you could be equal with them" His voice hardened, "Then they turn on you and throw you out. Because they think they're so much better than us; us clan-less people."

"But…" Kaori swallowed as he glared at her, but continued, "The Inuzukas aren't like that. And neither is Hinata."

"Hinata?" He recoiled from her, "You met with a Hyuga?"

His face changed, he looked appalled and hurt as he grabbed her and shook her, "They're the worst! How could you?"

He spun around, and began dragging her after him, down the alley and into another street, heading for their home. "I'm going to keep you safe, Kaori. I'll stop them. They won't hurt you. They won't trick you with their false kindness. They won't break your heart."

Kaori stumbled along behind him, not able to make sense of his ramblings. In the distance, a dog began barking and she glanced back to see Shino walking up the road, Moriko struggling in his arms and barking.

The sight renewed her determination and gave her strength.

"No!" She wrenched herself out of his grip and stumbled backward. "I don't want to go with you!"

"Kaori?" Minoru stopped, stunned and confused by her defiance.

"I want to see my friends! I want to help Hana at the clinic! I want to go outside! I don't want to be locked inside again!"

He stood in shocked silence as she ran back the way they'd come, not even moving when she collided with someone.

* * *

Kiba staggered back into a wall, his arms filled with another person. He looked down into Kaori's big, tearful blue eyes and couldn't control his excitement. With a whoop, he picked her up and spun her round.

"I found you!" He yelled, still spinning as Naruto, Hinata, Hana and Ino exited the alleyway and Shino joined them from the street.

"Put her down before you drop her." Hana admonished. Kiba shot his sister a surly glare but lowered Kaori to the ground gently.

"Are you alright?" He asked, noticing the tears as they spilled down her cheeks. She flung herself into his arms and sobbed happily, saying how much she missed him. He rubbed her back and muttered soothing words, unsure why she was so upset after only one day apart but still happy to have her back.

Ino and Hana shared a pleased look, before Hana separated them to give Kaori a hug. Beside them, Naruto asked why Shino was carrying the 'white devil' which earned him a close call with Moriko's teeth.

Hinata ignored them all, looking up the street to where Minoru still stood, frozen in time like a statue. It seemed as if the life had left him; all his anger and hatred had drained away, leaving an apathetic shell in its place.

Then he slowly turned and walked away.

"Please, wait!" Hinata called, hurrying after him. He didn't pause in his stride; but before she reached him, he disappeared, leaving only a small cloud of smoke in his wake.

* * *

Tsume sat through the celebration alone in her room. Kuromaru had posted himself as her guard, turning away Hana and Kiba when they came to investigate her behaviour.

In front of her was a photo album; she'd been leafing through it all evening. Here were the few photos of her career: her genin squad, fresh from the Academy, the chunin squad she'd been assigned to, her jounin mentor, the woman who had helped her through her exams. Here, also, were photos of the few chunin she'd trained.

She held a few photos that she'd plucked from the pages. One was her genin team; she barely recognized herself that young. The other faces weren't easily recognized either.

The other photo was of herself, she was older, and a much younger man. The similarities between him and one of her genin colleagues marked them as family. She hadn't had much to do with either of them since their respective exams for advancement.

She was mulling over those two faces when there was a quiet knock on her door.

"Excuse me, Tsume." Kaori said softly, peering in around the door. "Hana said you wanted to see me."

Tsume placed the two photos in the album and closed it. She stood up from her bed and Kaori stepped forward to prop her up as she wavered.

"Interfering again." She growled at Kuromaru as Kaori coloured.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, withdrawing slightly only to have Tsume's hand close like a claw on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault I'm old." Tsume frowned, stopping Kaori's apologies.

"Nor is it my fault you won't go to the hospital." Kuromaru added gruffly.

"That is neither here nor there." Tsume replied with a philosophical air, "Kaori is here so we won't talk about there."

Kaori bit back her laughter at the older woman's words, instead staring up at her with wide eyes.

"It's quite late. Were you going home tonight?"

Kaori's face dropped; she hadn't thought about it. She'd been so happy to be back in the house, with her friends. Her thoughts turned to her brother and she hung her head in shame. But in spite of the guilt she felt for forgetting him, she didn't want to leave.

"May I stay here? Please?" She pleaded.

"And what about your brother?"

She was torn; her brother had been her only friend, her protector and confidant, for so many years. She rubbed her arm, where he'd gripped it, the bruises causing an involuntary, sharp intake of breath.

She made up her mind.

* * *

"Kaori will be staying here tonight."

A cheer went up around the room as Kaori blushed at their exuberance and attention. Naruto made a sly comment to Kiba and a fight broke out which ended with them both under a dog pile and finished the party.

As Hinata left the Inuzukas' house, she was quiet, as she had been all night. Naruto walked silently beside her, trying not to disrupt her thoughts.

She was thinking about Kaori and Minoru and her clan business.

_I hope tomorrow is not too late._


	13. Confrontations

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Someone was knocking at the door.

Minoru raised his head off the table to peer blearily at the clock on the wall. It was just after six o'clock in the morning. Even if he was his usual self, he wouldn't answer the door at this hour.

He dropped his head back down and ignored the knocking.

* * *

He woke with a start as sharp raps landed on one of the front windows. The clock read after seven. He rallied himself to stand but lost the motivation before he'd completed the action. He landed heavily, off-centre on the chair and tipped over onto the floor.

With a brief groan, he curled up and ignored the continued rapping, slipping into the dark again.

* * *

It was a crash that woke him next, as the front door fell to the floor and bright light poured into the house. The curtains were wrenched back from the windows and the morning spilled inside.

With a dark groan, Minoru hid his head under his arms and wished the intruders away.

"Is he alright?" One voice asked with worry.

"He isn't dead." Another replied as a boot nudged him in the ribs.

"That's unhelpful." A third voice said monotonously.

Someone knelt next to him, shielding his head from the light. He uncurled under their gentle pressure, his eyes unable to focus in the hazy light and they raised him up and offered him a drink.

"Minoru, my name is Hinata Hyuga."

Minoru tried to pull away from her but a firm hand held him down.

"I know what happened, Minoru. And I'm very sorry."

"Get out!" He rasped, spilling the water as he pushed her away, "Leave me alone!"

"Please, hear me out."

"No!" He rolled away from her, "Isn't it enough that you took her away? You took them both! Why couldn't you leave me alone?"

He staggered to his feet and lurched away from her only to come face to face with her upstart cousin.

"Get out of my house, Hyuga!" He snarled.

Neji stared back at him evenly and Minoru stumbled passed him, still ranting.

"All of you! Get out of my house!"

"Please Minoru, just let me explain…" Hinata began.

"I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" Minoru spat, rounding on her, "I don't want to hear your excuses or advice! I don't want you in my house! I never want to see anyone in your family again!"

"Is that so?" A calm, cool voice interjected.

His hysterical words slid harshly back down his throat as he turned wild, wide eyes on the new figure in the doorway.

"Wasn't it one of their cousins, a Hyuga, who had your love and affection?"

Minoru stepped back, unable to talk as Tsume entered his house and approached him.

"Wasn't she the reason why you strove to become a jounin? So you could prove yourself and marry her?"

He backed into a wall, his tongue like lead in his mouth.

"Wasn't that why you asked me to train you?"

"You said that wasn't a good reason." He whispered.

Tsume's eyes glinted as her mouth curved into a feral grin, "But it didn't stop you, did it?"

He shook his head, eyes lowered to the floor, "It wasn't enough."

His body shuddered as he released his breath, then he raised his head to glare at Hinata and Neji, "They said it wasn't enough!"

Hinata recoiled from the hatred in his eyes and Neji stepped up beside her, giving her support but stopping her from speaking.

"They said a man with no clan wasn't good enough to marry her, not even a jounin. They said I would never be good enough. Then they said it didn't matter. She didn't want me anyway; she was getting married to someone else. A man from a great clan, they said. A man who would always be better than me."

"Did you see her again, speak to her?" Tenten asked from next to Kiba.

"They wouldn't let me see her!" Minoru screamed, his chest heaving as he struggled to draw breath past the lump in his throat. He looked back at Tsume and his anger drained away, "They wouldn't let me see her."

He was breathing erratically but, as he stared at Tsume, it evened out. He seemed almost calm and, though his emotions were in turmoil just beneath the surface, his training was kicking in and masking it.

"Why…" He paused briefly to inhale and exhale, "Why are you here?"

Hinata opened her mouth to answer but Neji stopped her once more as Tsume shot them a sharp look.

"Your father sent me."

"My father?" Minoru asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Because it is time for his secret to come out." Tsume replied. She turned to the others, "If you don't mind leaving."

Kiba turned and immediately left the house, knowing that was an order and not a request. The girls followed his lead though Neji required extra incentive. He was hustled out by a sharp bark of command.

Minoru stared at her as Tsume took a seat at the table and withdrew a scroll.

"Do you know your family history?" She asked, placing the scroll on the table in front her. Minoru shook his head, not approaching until Tsume's eyes narrowed.

"My father said our future was more important than our past." He said, as he took the seat opposite her.

"And what conclusion did you draw from that?"

"That he didn't want to talk about it." Minoru stated. At Tsume's leading stare, he thought harder, "There was something shameful in his past? He was trying to forget or hide it."

"Not shameful but embarrassing, for him." Tsume corrected. She gestured to the scroll. "This contains your family's history, your lineage. He kept it from you because neither he, nor his father, shared the heritage, or the skills of their kin.

"And I don't either."

Tsume hit him over the head, "How do you know you don't, if you don't know what it is?"

Minoru rubbed his head, looking at her in confusion.

"The point is that your father and grandfather did not. And they left the clan because of it."

"The clan? What clan?" His eyes grew wide. "You don't mean your clan?"

"You, an Inuzuka?" Tsume laughed harshly. "If you were one of us, boy, we'd have claimed you already."

She dragged her finger down her cheek, where the fang was marked on her face and he looked away.

"But we are from a clan?" He asked sullenly, hurt by her casual dismissal.

"Yes, you are from a clan. Which is why your hatred and behaviour is unfounded."

"But the Hyugas…" He protested.

"Are one clan, led by pompous, arrogant old men with delusions of grandeur inspired by their caste system." She stated, "Which would be completely unnecessary, by the way, if there weren't so damn many of them gallivanting around the countryside."

There was humour in her appraisal of them, but Minoru couldn't laugh. Instead, his mind raced forward to the possible implications of this information.

"Which clan?"

Tsume pushed the scroll towards him, indicating that he should open it. "It's a small one, originally from Iwa. Your father was born there."

"Are they still there?" He asked, picking at the seal.

"Not in large numbers. Few survived the war."

Minoru fell back in his seat, stunned. His despondency and black despair engulfing him once more, "What's the point then? I may as well remain clan-less."

"Your hatred says otherwise." Tsume regarded him coolly, "You may be able to throw it away but what about your sister? Are you going to walk away from her too?"

"What does it matter? She's left me anyway." He stood up from the table and walked away, as if the conversation was over.

Tsume grit her teeth, furious with his apathetic attitude and his disregard for her.

Minoru soon found himself face down on the floor.

"You should know better than to walk away from me!" She growled in his ear.

He braced his hands against the floor, "Are you sure you want to do this, old woman?"

* * *

Kiba spun, startled by the sound of his mother's snarl, coming from inside the house. It was followed by several crashes and he turned back to stare across the street.

Tenten was on her feet, looking down at him in shock, "Shouldn't we help her?"

"Her? No!" Kiba asked in disbelief, "And not him either!"

Tenten moved to enter the house but Neji stopped her as a warning growl rang out from the shadows.

The fight continued for another ten minutes before a tense silence fell. Kiba sent Akamaru to investigate and Kuromaru relayed the final score.

"Better send for the medics."

* * *

"This pity party has to end." Tsume growled, standing over Minoru's prostrate body.

Minoru nodded; he would have agreed to anything to stop her from hitting him. He was still seeing double of her and stars were flitting across his vision.

"Kaori is a young woman now. You can't keep her in this house forever. She's your sister, not your housekeeper."

Minoru nodded again.

"And according to reports, you've been acting like an untrained pup."

He looked at her in confusion as she helped him to his feet.

"You've been lashing out with your teeth and pissing everywhere."

He stumbled, not sure whether to laugh or cry and unable to keep to his feet. He gagged on his laughter and his eyes were swimming.

Tsume guided him to a chair and leaned him over, until his head was between his knees.

"Breathe boy. You don't want to die from a scolding, do you?"

He shook his head and choked again, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry."

Tsume stared at him, confused by his apology. By all her accounts, he didn't owe her one.

"I failed my jounin exam." He gasped out, his body trembling. "I failed it, I didn't listen to you and I failed."

Understanding dawned and she sighed, dropping into a chair.

"You idiot."

"You told me to reschedule, not to push myself and I" He gasped again, "I went ahead. They failed me halfway through."

Tsume dropped her head into her hands. "You missed her funeral, didn't you?"

Minoru nodded, his trembling increasing as sobs racked his body.

Tsume sighed. She remembered that week. Minoru was three days out from his exam when the news came in; that his mother had been killed on her mission. His father had collapsed, the shock and grief causing a heart attack that had hospitalized him. He was retired from active duty following that, and his health had never really recovered.

"I let them all down." Minoru sobbed, "I failed my test. I missed the chance to honour my mother. I lost Hibuke and Kaori… I wasn't here. She was all alone for three weeks. Three weeks! What kind of brother was I?"

Tsume sat silently, waiting for him to calm down.

He was taking deep breaths, battling the shudders that still ran through his body.

"My mother is dead. Hibuke was taken from me. It's only a matter of time before my father… Kaori is…" He looked up, "Everything I've done since then has been for her, for the only family I have left and … and she doesn't even want to see me anymore."

There was a gasp from the hallway and they turned to see Kaori there, her big blue eyes brimming with tears. Minoru rose, unsteadily, to his feet.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, only to have Kaori race across the room into his arms.

Tsume shook her head as the siblings embraced, silently forgiving each other, and left them to their privacy.

* * *

The front yard of the Tokudan residence was filled with people. The drama unfolding inside had seemingly attracted onlookers. Kiba was lounging on the steps watching everyone and wondering what made them think they needed to be here.

He knew Kaori had arrived with Hana earlier, which explained why his sister was here. It looked like she may have forgotten a date last night, judging by the serious conversation she was having with Aoba. Her three dogs were worriedly watching the interaction between them, although Kiba wasn't entirely concerned. Aoba's face might have seemed upset but his scent was still wrapped up in endorphins just from being in Hana's presence.

Some might call it creepy or unnerving, but being able to smell people's emotions was quite handy. As far as Kiba was concerned, anyone behaving like Aoba was, was more likely to be hurt than do the hurting. And if Hana decided to hurt Aoba's feelings, that certainly didn't matter to Kiba.

On the other side of the yard, Hinata's family had gathered. She was in a quiet discussion with Neji while her father stood stoically behind. Next to him was another member of the Hyuga family, a man who seemed to think highly of himself, despite the fact that his entire physique screamed civilian.

Kiba's nose wrinkled, if that man was a shinobi at any stage in his life, he'd been a bureaucrat for far longer.

Just then Tenten ran up with Sakura as his mother stepped out of the house behind him. All attention swung to the Inuzuka matriarch but she ignored their questioning looks, walking passed everyone to stop in front of Hinata's father. Hiashi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"It's a fine mess you've made of this, Hiashi." Her sharp eyes slid over to the other man and she sneered, "You and your foppish cousin."

Hiashi frowned as his cousin's face flushed scarlet. Both men struggled to retain their composure, particularly with all of the present nin-dogs growling at them.

"That is not your business." Hiashi began, holding up his Hyuga arrogance like a mask.

"You assume." Tsume growled.

"What is to you? You're putting your nose where you have no right!" The cousin burst out angrily, attempting to look down on her despite the fact that she was the same height and possessed a far greater presence than he could dream of.

And slurs against the Inuzuka nose were never taken lying down.

"My students are my business." Tsume snarled back, "And I'll interfere wherever I see fit. Your clan's pompous notion of superiority has gone unchallenged for long enough."

His face flushed even darker but he was cut off by Hiashi's quiet voice.

"Enough, Hiroshi. This situation is too heated to continue rationally." He nodded to Tsume, "We will discuss this further at a later date."

Kiba felt a thrill course through him as the two Hyuga men basically fled from his mother. He had to bite his cheek not to laugh out loud. When his mother turned around and he quickly averted his eyes, only to find that Hana hadn't had as much restraint as he, and was currently muffling her mirth in Aoba's shirt. He, too, seemed to be grinning a little too openly.

Kiba jumped when he felt a hard boot strike his rump. He looked up to find his mother looming over him.

"Did you break that?" She asked, drawing his attention to the front door of the house, still lying on the floor of the entryway. He turned back to look at her and she leaned down.

"Fix it. Now."

"Yes, mother."

* * *

The Tokudan siblings shared the day with the Inuzukas. Minoru felt extremely out of place, amidst the boisterous family and was exceedingly surprised that his sister seemed acclimatized to it. Kaori spent most of that time in varying levels of embarrassment and discomfort. Though she was coming to accept the very different behaviour of her hosts, it was quite awkward for her to have her brother witness it as well.

After the evening meal, which Kiba and Kaori had made together, Tsume exiled her children to the yards so she could discuss the scroll she had retrieved.

"This scroll belongs to you two." She said, laying it out of the table. "Inside are all the customs, skills and heritage that your father learned but could not share."

"Why is it important for us to know this?" Minoru asked, "If our father and grandfather didn't have these skills, what makes you think that we do?"

Kaori looked at him then turned to Tsume, interested in her answer. She stared back at them evenly, waiting for them to draw their own conclusions.

"You think we do?" Kaori asked, excitedly.

Minoru stared at his sister, surprised by her outburst, then his gaze swung back to Tsume, "What?"

"I will ask you again, Minoru. If you do not know what these skills are, how do you know if you have them?"

"Surely something would have come out before now!" Minoru scoffed, "Clan traits are highly valued."

Tsume whacked him over the head once again, annoyed with his apathetic attitude. "Do you listen when I speak or are you completely incompetent when it comes to thinking?"

Minoru glared at her, rubbing his head angrily.

"I told you. Your clan comes from Iwa. Of all the clans in Konoha, only the Yamanaka would have had dealing with them in the past, and that was so long ago, it wouldn't be remembered today."

"But we have spies." Minoru argued, "Clans from other villages are investigated so if we meet them in combat we know how to defend ourselves and defeat them."

Tsume looked at Kaori, "Is he always this dense?"

Her eyes widened as his narrowed, "What am I missing?"

"Your father worked in the intelligence office." Tsume said, clearly annunciating each word so there could be no misunderstandings, "As an insider, it is extremely unlikely that he would let any incriminating or explanatory information point to him or his clan."

"So he covered it up?" Minoru asked hotly, "Do you have any idea of how treasonous that is?"

Tsume rolled her eyes, "He didn't cover it up, you fool. Use your brain. He separated it from information concerning himself and his family. It was easily done, since your family name is no longer that of your clan."

"He changed our name?"

"Your grandfather did." Tsume corrected, "Yet another example of the stiff-necked pride that seems to run with male led clans. Naming you "special", the arrogance!"

She shook her head and Kaori bit her lip so as not to laugh. Minoru sat stony-faced. Having known his grandfather, he resented the slur against him, but he said nothing.

Tsume eyed him, before she nodded, satisfied that he'd learned his lesson. "Your clan is the Naijitsu, whose gifts were a closely guarded secret. Only the Tsuchikage was aware of their skills and they were never placed in the forefront of battles."

"Why is that?" Kaori asked, her curiosity overcoming her timidity.

"Because they have an intellectual advantage in a physically threatening village." Tsume answered, unfurling the scroll and tapping a section. There on the paper was a stylized drawing of the ear. "They can hear what others cannot."

Kaori stared at her in confusion but Minoru sat in shock. Tsume's lips curled in a feral grin, "Ah, it dawns."

"I have it!" He murmured, staring at the scroll in awe. He locked eyes with Tsume and exclaimed, "I have it."

"How do you know?" Kaori asked him, almost whispering.

Minoru turned to her, realization hitting him as he thought back over the day's events. "You have it too."

"Me?" Kaori squeaked, "How do you know?"

"I didn't know before today," He replied, "And you wouldn't have known the difference."

He looked back at Tsume, "You knew, why didn't you tell us?"

"Knew what? I don't understand." Kaori whined. An answering whine was heard from the yard, along with the sounds of scratching against the rear entry.

"Kaori, the dogs. You can understand them." Minoru explained, "I didn't think anything of it because I'd only trained with Kuromaru. But the other dogs, they can't speak like he can. Yet we know what they say!"

Kaori's eyes widened and her head whipped round to stare at Tsume. "But I thought everyone could."

"How would you know you were different if no-one noticed it?" Minoru said quietly, "There'd be no evidence to enlighten you."

Amusement and pride gleamed in Tsume's eyes, and she bit back her grin as the two siblings realized the strengths of their skills. Excitement shining from their faces, they turned to her once more.

"What else can we do?"

Tsume spent the next few hours reading through and explaining the scroll to her two enthusiastic students. It almost made her want to return to teaching and training. Kiba's entry, covered in dust, sweat and smelling of dog urine made her rethink that; he still required her supervision. Raising males was always a challenge.

She finished explaining a basic jutsu pattern to Kaori and glanced at the clock, aiming to a call it a night, when she noticed Minoru's quiet, yet troubled countenance.

"Speak, boy." She growled, weary from the day and hoping this would not take long. Men and their emotional dilemmas, she could do without.

"Our father kept this from us." He said quietly, glancing at his sister. "That wasn't right."

Tsume groaned before abruptly standing from the table, "Take it up with him then."

The stunned siblings watched as she stormed from the room and Hana peeked in.

"That means 'good night'." She announced helpfully before showing them where they could sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: The name of their clan, 'Naijitsu', means 'the facts'. A similar word, 'naiji' is a term for 'inner ear', but also translates to 'internal affairs'. 'Tokudan' means 'special'.**


End file.
